


The Romanian Wolf Cub

by crispybacon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brainwashing, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), Kid Fic, Kidnapping, M/M, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Past Child Abuse, Superfamily, Superhusbands, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 70,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23860171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crispybacon/pseuds/crispybacon
Summary: The Avengers have taken on every foe they've come across - Loki, Doombots, Ultron...but what are they supposed to do when a young girl shows up on their doorstep? And by 'shows up'...I mean breaks into Stark's security to wait for them in the tower lobby.Because she's a mutant. And has time-sensitive information for Steve Rogers.Bucky Barnes is alive, and she needs their help to get him back.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 43
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

It’s been two weeks since the Avengers saved the world from Ultron, and in that time the Avengers’ alarm has sounded three more times.

Needless to say, they were exhausted.

So early Saturday morning, when another alarm went off in the tower, Tony couldn’t help but groan from his comfortable position in bed. 

The warm body behind him groaned as well and started moving much to the brunette’s annoyance. 

Tony growled in protest, blindly reaching behind him for the warmth again as he just heard a chuckle coming from his heat source. 

They’ve only been married eleven months, co-captains of the Avengers for just under two years and new fathers for the last three weeks. They never slept as it was, but dammit Tony was really looking forward to taking the weekend to catch up on some z’s. 

“Come on, Tony,” his traitorous husband said, pulling the blankets back and taking the last of Tony’s warmth with him. 

“Noooo,” the brunette whined, burying his head in the pillow even as his AI shut off the alarm. 

_ “Sirs, there is a situation that requires your attention downstairs…” _

“Yeah, Jarvis, we guessed that from the loud, blaring noises,” Steve grumbled, patting Tony’s bottom to get him moving. The brunette stayed buried in his pillow, however, just wiggling his ass in defiance. “Come on, lazybones.” 

“No, it’s my day off,” Tony whined again, ignoring the chuckle from his husband. 

_ “Captain Rogers, there is a child downstairs-” _

“A child?!” Tony asked angrily, sitting up to glare at the ceiling. “You woke us up for a goddamn child? Tell the little pissant to come back Monday when they do the free tours!”

_ “Sir, she is specifically asking for the Captain…” _

“Well then politely tell her to fuck off!” Tony yelled, rubbing his eyes in frustration. 

“Tony…” Steve tried to reason while still sitting on their bed.

_ “Sir, I’m not entirely sure how, but she was able to bypass my security. She is waiting for the Captain in the lobby.” _

That got the two superheroes to look at each other in shock, quickly scrambling to put some clothes on before heading to the elevator. 

“Is she some kind of mutant, J?” Steve asked as he adjusted his shield in his hands. “Maybe she’s one of Xavier’s?”

_ “I am not sure, Captain. But scanning suggests no weapons on her person. The other Avengers are waiting in the lobby for you two to arrive.” _

The two men shared another look as Tony brought the gauntlet out of his watch, anxious to try out his latest invention. They stepped out on the ground floor, walking into the lobby at the curious sight before them. 

Thor, Natasha, Clint and Bruce (non Hulk) were casually sitting around a young girl in the middle of the lobby couches. 

Straight brown hair hung in her face, until the two heroes arrived and she looked up at them with bright green eyes. She couldn’t have been older than Peter who just recently turned five. Her clothes were ragged and she was covered in dirt and dried blood. She had an affronted expression on her face, like they had the nerve to make her wait. Saturday morning. At five fucking am.

“So...you’re the reason I’m awake at five am on a Saturday?” Tony asked, too tired to be polite. 

“I need to speak to Steve Rogers, I did not ask the ceiling robot to call the other Avengers,” the small girl said evenly, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to appear intimidating. 

“What’s your name?” Steve asked in a gentle voice, stepping around the others to approach her. 

“Daciana. You can call me Daci.”

“How’d you bypass my security and get in here, Daci?” Tony asked suspiciously.

“It’s something I can do. But I’m not here to cause any trouble, I’d just like to talk to Steve in private.”

“That’s not happening,” Tony snapped back. 

“Tony, she’s a kid. Jarvis scanned her, she’s not carrying any weapons,” Bruce said. 

“Yes, I believe this tiny one’s intentions are not malicious,” Thor piped in. 

“She has some mutant ability to bypass  **_my_ ** security and none of you are concerned?” Tony asked incredulously, throwing his arms up for dramatic effect. He noticed the girl flinch out of the corner of his eye, before her face turned back to stone and she set her shoulders back. 

“How old are you, kid?” Clint asked, sitting the closest to her. 

“Five and one half,” she answered, the barest hint of accent on her tongue. But mostly perfect English.

“Whatever it is you need to say to me, you can say in front of my team,” Steve said kindly as he carefully sat next to her. It was a good thing he sat down, because the next words that came out of her mouth nearly had the man passing out. 

“Bucky Barnes is alive, and I know where he is.” 

There was a moment of silence after her statement as the heroes continued staring at the child.

“What did you just say?” Steve asked with a shaky voice, the other Avengers looking in equal shock - all except Thor who wasn’t aware who she was talking about. 

“That’s not possible,” Tony argued, alarm noises going off in his head to not trust this child. 

“After he fell,” the child continued speaking to Steve directly, “HYDRA found him and brought him back to life with the serum. The same one your government injected into you. They experimented on him, tortured him, replaced his arm with a metal one and brainwashed him into being their slave. They’ve frozen and unfrozen him over the last seventy years, waking him up to do their bidding.”

“...the Winter Soldier?” Natasha asked nervously, causing the others to glance at her in shock - since she’s never sounded anything but confident since they formed the team. 

“Who’s the Winter Soldier?” Bruce asked in confusion. Tony looked over at his husband, who was still sitting quietly in a state of shock. 

“HYDRA assassin, responsible for some of the most famous killings in recent history. Rumor has it he killed JFK,” Clint said absently, his face as white as a sheet. 

“I thought he was a ghost story. You’re telling me the Winter Soldier is Bucky Barnes? Steve’s Bucky? How the hell do you possibly know that?” Tony asked the small girl, not entirely believing her. 

“She could be lying…” Nat added with a squint, for once in agreement with the genius. 

“How do you know this?” Steve asked her quietly, causing Tony to look over at his distraught husband with concern. The girl’s composure started to fall as she started to fidget in anxiety, clearly uncomfortable with all this spotlight.

“Can we please talk in private? He said I could trust you,” Daci requested quietly. 

“Bucky? Bucky told you you could trust me?” Steve asked, prompting the child to nod her head yes.

“Where is he now?” Tony asked, though her eyes were still trained on Steve. 

“HYDRA has him. Please,” her tiny voice wavered. “I need your help getting him back.”

“Back?” Steve asked. “From where?”

“Who is this man to you? How do you know him?” Natasha asked her. The child glanced around at the heroes, looking like she was still deciding whether or not she could trust them. 

“He...is my protector. And friend. He’s been keeping me safe the last four months.”

“Safe from what?” Steve asked gently. 

“HYDRA.”

“Hold up, so  **you’re with HYDRA** ?” Tony asked, too tired to fully process all of this with what little sleep he’s had.

“ **I am not HYDRA** ,” Daci growled out, tiny fists clenched in anger. 

“She does not appear reptilian in nature…” Thor pointed out.

“HYDRA is a secret Nazi organization, not the mythical creature you’re thinking of,” Clint explained to the god.

“I was about her age when I started training…” Natasha spoke up, still eyeing the child suspiciously. 

“She still hasn’t explained how she got past my security,” Tony added. “Maybe she’s a HYDRA mole-”

“I AM NOT. HYDRA!” Daci screamed, bringing her fists down on the coffee table and breaking it in two. The heroes looked back at her for a moment in shock, tension building in the room as she immediately coiled back in fear. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice much quieter. “James had me working on my strength and anger before he...was taken.”

“James?” Thor asked curiously. 

“James Buchanan Barnes, he went by Bucky…” Steve said absently. 

“Just because she knows his name doesn’t mean she’s telling the truth…” Tony pointed out before a yawn took over his features. He blinked away some loose tears as he looked back at the child, who was now openly glaring at the billionaire. 

“I am telling the truth,” Daci growled quietly. 

“We could hook her up to a polygraph test,” Bruce suggested. 

“No tests,” the child said quickly, turning her glare to the other genius in the room. 

“It would just make sure you’re telling the truth. It wouldn’t be invasive or anything,” Clint explained.

“No. Tests.”

“She is but a small child. Strong, sure, but still a child. I do not understand the need for hostility,” Thor commented as Tony stole another glance at his husband. Steve was looking down at his lap, eyes blank as the blonde stared down without blinking.

“HYDRA can train them that small, the KGB did with me,” Natasha argued. 

“I am not HYDRA.”

“But you were previously with HYDRA?” Bruce asked carefully. “Or, at least it sounds like Bucky saved you from them?” She didn’t answer him, but her silence kind of answered the question for her.

“Some of us have dealt with HYDRA before while others have only read about them. We know how manipulative and dangerous they can be. So you understand why we are concerned. Why it’s hard for us to believe your story…” Clint said kindly. Daci looked around the room at each hero for a moment before surprisingly nodding in agreement. 

“He told me things, trained me to memorize answers so when we met...you could ask me anything and believe I’m telling the truth,” the child said directly to Steve, who finally looked up at that. 

“He did? He planned on this happening?” Steve asked in confusion. 

“He said if we ever got separated, find you and explain everything. But he didn’t say tell other people,” she finished, pointedly looking at the other heroes in distaste. 

“We’re the Avengers kid, you can trust us,” Clint said kindly. Her expression relaxed slightly with his statement, but she looked down at her lap as if she was still unsure. “If you want our help, you’re going to have to give us more information.”

She looked at each hero again, stopping on Steve before taking a deep breath. 

“My parents were HYDRA scientists and they donated me to be experimented on. I was one of the infants injected with the serum...along with some mutant genes. When I was four, there was an explosion at the base and Ja-Bucky saved me. For the last nine months, we’ve been on the run. He helped convince me that HYDRA is bad and we have to get away from them. He’s...all I got. And now, HYDRA has him back. They’re going to brainwash him again! I can’t let that happen!” she cried out before bursting into tears. 

“I believe her,” Thor rumbled, nodding his head in approval. 

“The KGB taught me to cry on demand too…” Nat said, still squinting at the child. 

“Jesus Tasha, she’s five!” Clint said in her defense.

“You said...there are questions I could ask? That only Buck would know the answers to?” Steve spoke up, looking like he was actually believing her.

“Yes. He told me his answers,” she said as she straightened herself up and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Steve, you can’t honestly-” Tony said before his husband interrupted him.

“What were his parents’ names?”

“Fred and Grace Barnes.”

“Ask her something harder than that, Steve. Something you can’t Google,” Tony said in disbelief.

“Alright, who was Bucky’s first crush?”

“Dottie Smith.” Steve looked back at Tony with a nod, which had the genius rolling his eyes in disbelief.

“What was the first bone he broke?”

“He broke his wrist after you dared him to jump off a tree,” she answered with a small smile.

“How old was he when he first drank booze?” Steve asked.

“Eight.”

“She’s right…” Steve said in amazement, just as Tony started to shake his head no. 

“No, that’s still not enough evidence,” Tony argued as the other heroes remained quiet, watching her intently.

“Ask me something else,” Daci challenged. 

“Okay...when we were little kids, we used to race along the tracks. Who won the last race, me or Bucky?” Tony scoffed at the question, because he’s giving her a fifty fifty shot of getting it right. But when he looked back at her, she had a small smile on her face. 

“It was a tie.”

“No it wasn’t…” Steve said with a confused frown.

“See! I knew it, Steve,” Tony said triumphantly, confused to still see a smile on the child’s face. 

“According to James, it was a tie. Since you cheated with the false start,” Daci said, letting a small chuckle out. Tony looked at his husband, whose face was smiling brightly back at the child.

“I did not cheat, it wasn’t my fault he wasn’t paying attention. I beat him fair and square!”

“He said if you ever asked me that one, that I should call you a cheating punk.”

“Holy shit,” Steve breathed out happily. “I can’t believe this…”

“Steve, wait. You’re just going to believe her that easily?” Tony asked in disbelief.

“HYDRA could’ve extracted those answers from Barnes and had her memorize them,” Nat said, still skeptical.

“Or, she’s telling the truth,” Clint argued. “And she’s a kid who needs our help.”

“A kid with mutant abilities who was able to hack JARVIS,” Tony said as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He was too tired for this.

Tony wasn’t  **trying** to be hostile towards the child. It’s just...he’s heard enough horror stories about HYDRA to be cautious. For crying out loud, they took his parents from him when he was twenty years old. 

So combine that with lack of sleep, it was understandable he was a little grumpy. 

But after hearing her story, seeing her tears and mentally comparing her to his kids...Tony’s composure was starting to crumble.

Until his hard headed husband spoke up.

“Do you have his coordinates?”

“Excuse me?” Tony asked him incredulously. “You can’t be serious. You’re actually thinking of running into a **clear** trap for the _possibility_ of seeing an old friend? Steve. We just got home,” he finished with a whine.

“Would it not also present the possibility of destroying HYDRA, if we follow her instructions?” Thor asked, before Clint explained that like the mythical creature, cutting off one head caused two more to pop up. 

“Steve, babe, we have three children upstairs that need both of their parents right now,” Tony said tiredly to his husband, knowing how equally matched he and Steve were for stubbornness. 

But add that to the long lost love currently held captive by HYDRA...the genius unfortunately knew where this was going.

“There’s still something she isn’t telling us…” Nat said skeptically. 

“Oh, for crying out loud, cut the literal child some slack,” Clint groaned with his arms in the air. Tony stole a glance at the child, who did suddenly look guilty. 

“What is it?” the redhead growled, standing up and towering over the child. “What aren’t you telling us?” she asked as the child began to curl in on herself.

“Nat,” Bruce said gently, reaching a hand out for his partner. (girlfriend? Tony didn’t know what to call them, he just knew they were a thing and not to comment on it)

“ _ No, she’s right _ ,” Daci whispered, causing each hero to snap their attention to her. The tension Tony felt in his stomach returned, along with the dreadful distrust towards this lying child.

“Tell us, Daciana,” Steve said gently as the girl’s bottom lip began to tremble. She shook quietly for a moment before blurting it out.

“He doesn’t want you to rescue him! I was supposed to give you the coordinates to bomb the facility. But...I couldn’t! I want him back,” she admitted before bursting into more tears. 

And oh, the air in the room suddenly changed once more. 

Natasha took a step back as other Avengers somberly looked away. 

Fuck. Tony felt like the biggest jerk.

“Tony, a word?” Steve asked, standing up and walking over to Tony before grabbing the brunette’s arm and leading the two out of earshot. 

“We can’t do this, Steve,” Tony admitted quietly. “What about the kids?”

“ **We** aren’t doing this, Tony. But  **I am** .”

“Goddammit Steve,” Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hands in frustration. They were both stubborn to a fault. “You haven’t slept in weeks!” he tried to argue.

“I’ll sleep on the plane,” Steve said with a shrug. “What would you do if it was Rhodey?” he asked, knowing he had the brunette when the shorter man groaned loudly.

“That’s different,” Tony tried to argue. 

“How?”

“Because I never fucked Rhodey!” Tony snapped.

Tony’s understanding of who Bucky was to Steve was apparently wrong. He had thought they were each other’s first loves, the way Steve described him. So sue him for the flash of jealousy that reared its ugly head.

“Tony,” Steve said dangerously quiet. “Bucky and I never fucked either. He was my best friend. My brother. My family when my mom died. Even when I had  _ nothing _ , I had Bucky.”

“But you have a family now, Steve. And I can’t do this on my own. If something happened to you…” he trailed off, traitorous tears spilling down the brunette’s cheeks as he closed his eyes in pain. He felt a hand gently caress his cheek, wiping away some of the tears. 

“Nothing will happen to me, Tony. I’ll bring some of the team with me-”

“-bring the whole team,” Tony interrupted with a pout as he wrapped his arms around his husband and buried his face in his gorgeous chest. “More people to make sure you don’t do something stupid.” Steve chuckled as he returned the hug, placing a gentle kiss on the man’s hair.

“I will always come back to you, Tony. You and the kids are my family now. But I have to do this…”

“I know. I don’t like it...but I know…” Tony said as they pulled away, knowing the depths he would've gone through had it been Rhodey. “What do you want to do about the kid? Do you trust her enough to be around the three stooges?”

“I trust you,” Steve said immediately with such conviction, making warmth fill Tony’s chest even as he rolled his eyes at the blonde. “And you have JARVIS and...I don’t think she’s here to hurt any of us. I think she’s a scared shitless kid who wants her...father-figure back.”

“Is that weird for you?” Tony asked with an amused smile. 

“What? That my old best friend is not only alive, but a dad to a mutant kid? And is also a famous assassin? No, of course not,” Steve teased before kissing the brunette. “I’ve come to expect crazy things to happen when I married you.”

Tony smacked the chuckling blonde before walking back to the group, knowing his husband was following behind him. Daci had stopped crying and was actually laughing at something Clint was telling her.

“Alright team, go rest then meet us for breakfast in a half hour,” Steve said to the others, who began filing out, leaving Steve, Tony and Daci behind. 

“Are we leaving now?” Daci asked, hopping off the couch to face them. 

“We?” Steve asked with a quirked brow. “Sweetheart, you’ll stay here with Tony.”

“What? But they have to pay!”

“I agree, but I’m not allowing a child to fight. Let alone HYDRA, who hurt that child,” Steve finished softly, Tony continuously impressed with the man’s patience.

“But you’ll let me stay here? With him?” Daci asked suspiciously, surprisingly agreeing to the terms and looking like she was not expecting any kind of welcome. 

Alright, that was probably on Tony. 

“Of course! You can stay with me and the other munchkins until the Avengers get back. Are you hungry? Steve makes amazing bacon and eggs,” Tony said as he led the three to the elevators. 

“If...if that’s okay. You’re...you’re really going to save him?” the child asked with such hope and desperation, Tony was finally starting to see this kid for who she really was. 

A superpowered child, but still a child. 

“The Avengers are on it, kid. You just need to worry about feeding the monster in your stomach,” Tony teased as they heard her stomach growl. She offered a small smile, which Tony counted as a win.

The elevator dinged and the three stepped out, the small child looking around in awe as she followed them to the kitchen. 

As Steve was grabbing ingredients to cook, Tony downed a mug of coffee that JARVIS had thankfully prepared for him. Daci climbed up one of the stools and watched them quietly. 

_ “Sirs, Young Miss Morgan is awake,” _ Jarvis informed them.

“I’m on it,” Tony said as he headed to their youngest’s room. Sure enough, the ten month old was standing in her crib, garbling nonsense. She cooed when she saw Tony, and the genius instantly melted at the sight of his little brown eyed beauty. “Good morning, princess,” Tony said as he pulled the sleepy girl into his arms. 

“Adada,” she babbled, not quite saying her first word. She rested her head on Tony’s shoulder as he brought her to the changing table. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up, sunshine,” Tony murmured as he quickly changed his girl and put her into a freaking adorable dinosaur onesie. He blew a raspberry on her cheek when he lifted her back into his arms, smiling at the sound of her laughter as he walked the two back to the kitchen. 

Daci was still sitting on one of the kitchen barstools, sipping on some orange juice while Steve had his back turned and was focusing on the stove top. 

“Alright let’s get you in your throne, your highness,” Tony said as he lowered the girl into her highchair. He turned to the five year old, preparing to introduce the two until his AI spoke up again. 

_ “Sir, Young Mister Harley has just awoken as well.” _

“Got that too. Steve introduce the ladies,” Tony said with a smile as he heard their teammates start to enter the kitchen. He ignored whatever argument Nat and Clint were having in favor of finding his middle child. 

The two year old was standing in his own crib, blonde hair hanging in his face and reminding the genius he’d need a cut soon. The boy squealed in excitement when he saw Tony. 

“Daddy!” Harley shrieked, voice still raspy from sleep and tiny feet stepping in excitement. 

“Hey baby boy,” Tony sang as he brought the boy up into his arms, pressing kisses to his cheek as they walked to his changing table. He quickly changed him before putting him in shorts and a t-shirt. It might have been an Iron Man shirt, but whatever it’s not like anyone would be surprised by it. 

As he started walking the two down the hall, his toddler started wiggling in excitement when he saw the rest of the team. Tony put him down, staring at the scene in front of him, once again wondering how this had become his life. 

He loved being Iron Man. Loved being an Avenger. Loved being co-captains with his sexy husband.

And he honestly loved being a dad. 

He just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. Or with so many. 

His cousin and his wife died in a car accident a few weeks ago, and Tony was the only living relative to take their kids. A five year old, a two year old, and a ten month old. If they didn’t take them in, they’d go into the foster system and most likely be separated. 

It was a lot, but like every other challenge he and Steve had faced - they knew they could get through it together. 

So of course, just as he was coming to terms with being a father of three, the universe threw another child into the mix. Plus a blast from his husband’s past. 

Chaos, thy life is his. 

He also couldn’t help smiling when he noticed someone was missing from the group. 

“He still asleep, J?” Tony asked as he walked around to get another cup of coffee. 

“Of course he is, he’s a mini-you,” Steve answered for the AI, smirking at the brunette who was glaring behind his mug. 

“Papa!” Harley interrupted the two as he toddled into the kitchen, wrapping his tiny arms around Steve’s legs. “You di’nt say goo’ mornin’!” the toddler added with a pout.

“Oh, I’m so sorry baby!” Steve said over dramatically, throwing his arms up before reaching down to pull the toddler up into his arms. “Good morning Harley,” he added before planting several kisses all over the boy’s face. 

Tony smiled as he watched the two, Harley screeching in delight. 

“Come on, baby, you need to eat breakfast,” Steve said as Tony followed the two into the dining room to eat. The Avengers were sitting around the table, eating and chatting away. Nat had Morgan in her lap, who was messily eating a banana. 

It was then he noticed Daci, sitting quietly with her hands in her lap, her plate untouched. As Steve walked around to put Harley in his chair, Tony walked over to the empty seat by the girl and sat down next to her. 

“Hey, why aren’t you feeding your tummy monster?” he asked gently over the rumbling conversations between the adults. She looked between the food and the man with a confused expression. 

“I don’t know what this is,” she admitted in a quiet and embarrassed tone.

“You’ve never had bacon and eggs?” Clint asked from the other side of her. “You should start with the bacon.” The blonde demonstrated by grabbing a piece and biting it in half. She blinked owlishly at him a few times before copying him, expression blossoming into a smile as she tasted bacon for the first time. “Good, right?” he asked as the girl nodded enthusiastically. 

“You could also try it with a fork like a civilized person, unlike Barton the caveman over there,” Tony said, demonstrating with his fork while the blonde stuck his tongue out in response. That at least got a smile out of the girl, who grabbed her fork and tried some of the eggs. “You can have as much as you can stomach, kid.”

She still looked hesitant, like he was going to take the plate from her at any second, but ultimately started eating more and more until she finished and asked for seconds.

The conversation picked up again as the heroes began discussing their plan, while Steve kept going into the kitchen to bring more food. They were there for a while before they heard the sounds of tiny feet eventually joining them.

“Must run in the Stark genes,” Clint teased as Peter came into view, curly brown hair a mess, still in his pajamas and squinting sleepily at everyone. 

“Good morning bambino,” Tony said as his five year old walked over and climbed into his lap. He was quiet when he first woke up and was usually a little cuddle bug. Until he noticed he didn’t recognize the person sitting next to his Daddy. The boy looked up at the older brunette until Tony explained. “Peter, this is Daci. Daci this is Peter.”

Neither verbally said hello, but both nodded at each other in greeting. Everyone ate with various conversations for a few minutes until Steve coughed to get everyone's attention.

“Alright, so it’s settled. Be on the quinjet in half an hour,” Steve said as he cleaned Harley off and helped him down, just as Peter realized what he said. The other Avengers quickly filed out, well aware of what was to come next, as Nat put Morgan back in her highchair before hightailing it.

“What?!” Peter exclaimed, suddenly very awake as he lept off Tony’s lap and walked around to his other father. “Papa you’re leaving? But you just got back,” the five year old whined, tears in his eyes as Steve walked over and pulled the boy into his arms. 

Peter was a sensitive kid and already had abandonment issues from losing his parents. He was the only one of his siblings that remembered them, but was also the first to start calling Tony and Steve Daddy and Papa. It didn’t help that his new fathers had been on missions since adopting them, though…so it was understandable he wasn’t happy about the new situation.

Not that Tony was either, if he was being honest.

Tony watched, heart breaking as Steve gently shushed the boy. 

“I’ll only be gone a day, baby boy. I’ll be back by breakfast tomorrow, I promise. And in the meantime Daddy will stay here with you and bubba and sissy.” Tony kept his mouth shut as he went to grab Morgan, knowing his son would cling to his Papa until the second he had to leave. 

He went to follow Harley into the living room when he noticed Daci still sitting at the table. 

“Daci? Wanna come watch a movie with us?” he asked the girl, who only nodded and quickly followed him, making the genius wonder if she had been waiting for permission. 

He flopped down on the couch, which had Morgan laughing in delight, while he heard the sounds of Steve doing the dishes while Peter argued with him.

As he was flipping through the selection of kids movies, he heard his husband make his way back into the living room - still sporting a koala-Peter. 

“Peter, I promise when I come back tomorrow we’ll paint together. Okay, buddy? Tony? Wanna help me out here?”

“Not especially,” Tony answered honestly, “consider it my silent protest,” only offering his husband a smile when the blonde glared at him. Morgan was sitting in his lap and clapped her tiny hands when she saw her Papa. Daci was sitting at the other end of the couch, watching while Steve sat next to Tony, shifting Peter to his lap. 

“You and Daddy are going to have so much fun today! Maybe if you ask nicely he’ll take you to the park,” Steve suggested just as the color drained from Tony’s face and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. 

The brunette couldn’t help but elbow him in the ribs and hand him Morgan securely between him and Peter. He also made a point to scoot away from the small group, glaring back at his husband. 

“You think I can handle four children in a public park have you lost your goddamn mind??” Tony hissed.

“Language,” Steve chided as he juggled the two kids, immediately hanging his head with the glare Tony continued grilling into him. “You could call Happy! OR it doesn’t have to be the park! Maybe you guys can color me some pictures-”

“No I wanna go to the park!” Peter chimed in, face breaking into a smile as Morgan squealed happily in agreement. Harley even cheered from the floor, but Tony kept his glare on the blonde bastard who had a sheepish grin on his stupid handsome face. 

“I hate you,” Tony growled, crossing his arms over his chest for good measure. 

“I’ll make it up to you too, I promise,” the blonde pleaded, holding onto Morgan as Peter got off his lap and began to chant ‘park.’

Tony just kept glaring at him as Harley started to chime in as well. 

“I really, really hate you,” Tony said again, doing his best to keep a straight face when Steve put Morgan on the ground and flopped down to lay his head in the genius’ lap. The blonde pulled his bottom lip out as he looked up at Tony, causing the brunette’s lips to quirk slightly. “Still hate you.”

“I love you,” Steve said with a pained laugh, as their kids continued chanting ‘park’ - even getting Morgan to shout ‘ark’. The smile finally broke across Tony’s face before he groaned and leaned his head back towards the ceiling. 

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Tony asked, eventually looking back down at his husband.

“You’re the best husband a fella could ask for,” the blonde cooed with that damn earnest smile of his. 

“You remember that while I think of a proper punishment for the  **park** idea,” Tony smirked, before leaning down and giving the blonde a chaste kiss on the lips. “Now go before the three musketeers change my mind.”

“I’ll be back to cook breakfast tomorrow, I promise,” Steve said as he sat up, kissing the brunette one more time before slinking away to change. Tony of course watched him go, contemplating ideas for punishment while staring at that amazing ass for another few seconds. 

Before the realization set in. 

Four kids. 

In a public park.

...Tesla give him strength.


	2. Chapter 2

It was so strange, observing Tony and his family. The man was so...patient. And kind. Not that she necessarily expected him to be as horrible as HYDRA had told her he was.

He must’ve earned the nickname “Merchant of Death” for a reason, though.

But she couldn’t see that now, as the man juggled two babies and a whiny child. 

There was something that was pulling at the back of her mind, but she wasn’t sure if she could ask him that kind of question. Her curiosity eventually won over.

“Tony? How did you and Steve have kids? I thought two boys couldn’t make babies…” The man chuckled at that, which only slightly embarrassed Daci. 

“We adopted them, but they are blood related to me, cause they were my cousin and his wife’s kids before they passed away,” the man gently explained. His behavior was confusing. First he was skeptical and harsh...and now he was being calm and quiet towards her.

Maybe it was just because the children were around. 

Maybe if they were alone he’d be mean again.

Daciana didn’t want to think about that, James had been teaching her to focus on the good. 

She really missed him.

“Daddy when are we going to the park?” the whiny child asked. The boy ‘Peter’ was also confusing, since they were about the same age yet he acted like the toddler. The only time Daci had clung to James like a baby was when they were climbing down the outside of a building. 

And only then it was because she had gotten shot in the leg. 

Maybe it was an American thing?

“I have to call your Uncle Happy to see if he can help, and only after everyone’s been changed.”

“I don’t wear diapers, Daddy,” the boy said, rolling his eyes disrespectfully. 

She had never done it around James, but when she was around HYDRA...that kind of behavior always resulted in a punishment of some kind.

“I know, peanut. But we gotta change your clothes, since you’re still in your pajamas,” Tony replied in a teasing tone with a matching smile on his face. 

These people were seriously weird. 

“Unca Happy!” the toddler ‘Harley’ cheered as Tony started talking to the ceiling robot again.

“JARVIS can you call Happy and see if he’s free to join us? And also find a park I can rent out nearby? Daci’s face scrunched up in confusion again, his words not making any sense to her.

How can you pay for a park?

_ “Mister Harold is available and will be here in fifteen minutes. And I have arranged his GPS to take your family to a nearby park that is currently empty.” _

“You’re the worst, J,” Tony said as he stood up with the ten month old ‘Morgan’ in his arms. “Alright munchkins, let’s get this show on the road. Petey go change, Harley come with me to your room. Daci?” the man asked as she sat up at attention. “Do you want to change or, um...are you good with what you have on?”

It took her a moment to realize he was referring to her clothing before the girl nodded in agreement. Not that she was expecting him to trust her to leave her here alone, but it still took her a moment to realize he was welcoming her along, not threatening her to join them. She watched him herd the other children away while she remained sitting on the comfortable couch.

When James had told her about Steve, and what intel he gathered from the other Avengers, she had expected a team of serious superheroes. He had even prepared her for the possibility they didn’t believe her, or worse - lock her up.

What she hadn’t expected, were these men and woman who were...silly. 

And...cuddly? At least they were with Tony and Steve’s children. She had watched in wonder earlier when the toddler had went to each superhero and greeted them ‘good morning.’ He greeted her even though she was a stranger and was much more welcoming than his older brother had been. 

She sat there another moment until Steve came back into view, dressed in the uniform she had seen him wear on TV. He looked around for a moment before coming to sit next to her on the couch.

“Hey, Daci. You doing okay?” he paused for an answer, but had to settle for her nod. “I promise you, we will bring Bucky home. And I uh...just wanted you to know that you’re safe here.” She quirked her brows in confusion.

“I wouldn’t stay here if I didn’t think it was safe,” she replied, not sure why he thought she couldn’t handle herself. But, to be fair, he hadn’t actually had a chance to witness her powers. She prepared to apologize for her rudeness when Steve just chuckled and shook his head at her response. 

“Oh that’s so weird...you remind me of Buck. But I guess being around him for four months makes him rub off on you, huh?” She looked back at him, unsure if he wanted an answer to that question or not until the child ‘Peter’ came running back into the room. 

“Papa! Do you  _ have  _ to go?” he whined - again. She squinted at the boy while he climbed onto Steve’s lap, kicking her a little in the process. She closed her eyes and took a breath to release her anger, taking another breath and shifting away from them while the boy continued pleading with the man. 

She never whined with HYDRA. Would never have even dared to. She tried once with James, begging him to let them stay in a country for more than three days. She could trust him, she knew he’d never physically hurt her when she’d done something wrong. He had carefully explained that during their first fight when she had cowered in fear waiting for the blows. So when she acted childish, exhausted from lack of sleep, he had explained in a sharp tone that they had to keep moving. 

She always liked that about James. Not just the not-beating her part, but that he’d explain why they had to do something that didn’t make sense to her. 

She really missed him. 

Watching the way Peter cuddled with Steve made her ache to see him again. 

Not that they ever cuddled like that, but James would let her crawl into bed with him after she’d had a nightmare. Or hold her hand when she got hurt or scared. 

Not that James was her father! 

Or anything. What was she even thinking?

She didn’t think of him like that. Well, he at least didn’t think of her like that. 

The sounds of Tony and the other children interrupted her embarrassing thoughts. Tony was holding Morgan and was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, which also confused her because that was in no way a clever disguise. Steve stood up with Peter still in his arms before walking over to Tony, leaning over to kiss him. Daci turned her gaze away, not wanting to witness that mushy stuff and watching as the toddler was walking straight towards her.

“You comin’ to da park?” Harley asked as he rested his hands on her knees. The trust that went into that gesture shocked her a bit, flinching unintentionally before shaking her head to answer. 

“Um...yes I think so.” 

“Why’s she here?” she heard Peter whisper, thanks to her super-hearing and the fact that the child didn’t actually know how to whisper.

“She needs our help, Pete. And you’re going to help by being extra good for Daddy, okay?” Steve said as he put the child on the ground. The man hugged and kissed the baby in Tony’s arms before walking over to do the same with Harley. She couldn’t help looking away again, not used to so much mushy-ness.

It took several more minutes of hugs and kisses and goodbyes before Steve eventually left, where the air in the room significantly dampened. She watched as Tony put on a fake smile and proceeded to lead everyone down the elevator and to an awaiting vehicle. 

It wasn’t a long ride to the park and she watched with amusement as the two men tried to assemble the two baby stroller when they got there. Well, Happy was trying as Tony held Morgan and just pointed unhelpfully. She stepped in after a moment, wordlessly assembling it before taking a step back with a small grin. 

The two adults just scoffed and loaded the babies, though she could see Tony failing at hiding a smile. He was starting to grow on her, even if she didn’t like him at first. 

Tony ended up sitting in the sand with Morgan in his lap while Happy pushed Harley and Peter on the swings. She joined Tony, watching Morgan silently as the baby babbled away, unable to stop smiling at the sight before her. Weirdly enough, it prompted her to blurt the honest thought currently swimming around her head.

“You’re a good dad, Tony.” She continued looking at Morgan, eventually looking back up at the man when he remained silent. At first, she thought maybe her opinion didn’t matter to the man, but then she realized how affected he’d been by her proclamation. 

The man was literally frozen in place for another moment before he tried to blink away some tears and finally turned to look her. 

“Uh, thanks,” he said, though his face gave away his nonchalant words. One thing HYDRA had taught her that she necessarily didn’t hate, the ability to read people. He was clearly uncomfortable with the confession, which was confusing cause his kids clearly loved him. Even though he’d only had them for three weeks.

Overall, they were...a pretty cute family. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of other people joining them, two different families with two kids each. She was immediately suspicious. She looked over at Tony to see if he was as alert as she was, but he was relaxed as another toddler came over and played in the sand. 

That was the thing about HYDRA, they could hide in plain sight. 

Like with toddlers, in a park, in the middle of the day. 

Her body tensed up in preparation, carefully watching out for each of Tony’s children as others began playing on the jungle gym. Peter veered off from the swings to slide with a boy, which got her thinking of kidnapping and escape routes until Tony asked her a question. 

“Daci? Don’t you want to play?” 

“No thank you,” she said with a scrunched up face. Why would she want to ‘play’ when there were a million awful possibilities that could unfold? How was he so calm around these strangers when he had earlier wanted to literally pay money to have a private park?

“Hey,” he said more earnestly, which got her to look at him again from eyeing the perimeter. He had a sad look on his face. “You’re safe. You’re allowed to be a kid and swing if you want.” She quirked her brow at him again, because she was never really safe, but didn’t argue with him. 

Just kept vigilance until they finally made their way back to the car. Happy was buckling Harley and Morgan in while Tony and Peter tried to disassemble the stroller in the back. 

That’s when a man with a gun came up to the rear of the vehicle. 

“Well if it isn’t my lucky day. Tony Stark with a bunch of kids and no back up. Give me everything in your wallet, Stark,” the man growled out. Tony had given up with the stroller and had grabbed Peter and was putting him behind his back when the man cocked the gun. “Don’t try anything funny. Men like you don’t appreciate whatcha got like us poor folk.”

“Easy there big guy, put the gun down and I’ll give you all the cash on me. Should be a couple hundred bucks. No need to point a gun at my kid,” the superhero said calmly, though Daci could see the slight tremble of his hand on Peter. 

Silently, like James had taught her, she stalked her way to the man while his finger danced over the trigger. This man was desperate, despite his confident voice, and she could tell he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. Add that to the red rimmed eyes and labored breathing, the man was also high on something which made him more impulsive and twitchy. The gun moved from pointing at Tony to pointing at Happy, who had his hands up in surrender, before moving back to Tony.

She needed to act fast, seeing the itchy look in his eye to pull the trigger even as Tony transferred the funds. Without thinking, she ran in front of him just as the man shot his pistol. It hit her shoulder but avoided it’s intended target and she used the collective shock as an opportunity to take the man down. 

In one fluid motion, she kicked his feet out from under him, taking the gun out of his hand as he fell to the ground. She cocked it again before she pointed the gun back down at him, one foot pressing down on his chest when he tried to wiggle away. Her eyes were focused on the criminal, foot pressing harder as she replayed the sound of the gun shot in her head. 

“Daciana,” Tony whispered as his shaky hand came into view, gingerly taking the gun away from her. She let him take it and took a few steps back away from the man, wondering if she had done something wrong. “Sweetheart you...you got shot…”

Oh, right. She’d forgotten about that.

She looked down at her shoulder, noticing the bullet had come out the other side. 

“It’s a through and through, should heal soon,” she said with a shrug from her uninjured shoulder. Morgan and Harley had started crying after the sound of the gunshot, so Daci was confused why Tony was worrying about her when his own kids were clearly upset in the backseat. “We should probably get them back to your tower,” she said, nodding at the cries. 

Not waiting for him to answer, she disassembled the stroller, put it in the back and proceeded to hop in the side. She finally put pressure on the wound when she was seated, looking around curiously at Happy and Tony talking quietly outside the vehicle. 

“Are you okay?” Peter asked her in a hushed tone as he tried to comfort his siblings. She only nodded at him, wincing when the movement hurt her shoulder. “You’re hurt...don’t worry my Daddy will take you to the hospital.”

“I don’t need a hospital,” she explained. “I’m like your Papa, it’ll heal on its own.” 

“Wow. You’re really brave,” Peter added as the adults got back into the car. “Thanks for saving us.”

“Yeah, thank you Daci. You can pick whatever you want to eat for dinner. We can have ice cream for dinner and cake for dessert,” Tony said as he sat in between the two youngest and comforted them while Happy drove them back to the tower. The others cheered, and happy babbling commenced once more as Daci could hear a ringing in her ears. 

She steadied her breathing, knowing that her adrenaline was fizzling out. She remained silent on the ride back and up the elevator, occasionally checking her shoulder while grounding herself with the sounds of the Stark family chatting away. 

“Daci?” Tony asked, snapping her out of her trance. “I’m going to go lay these sleepy heads down. But I’ll come back to look at your shoulder, okay? Are you in any pain?” She lied and shook her head no, since the man literally had his hands full of babies, watching Peter follow them. She decided to lay out on the carpet. 

She had stopped bleeding, but didn’t want to risk ruining any of the furniture. 

That’s where Tony found her a few minutes later, the man looking exhausted as he approached her with some clothes in his hands. 

“They’re finally asleep, the little terrorists. I brought some of Pete’s clothes in case you wanted to take a bath or-”

“-no baths!” she snapped before coiling back in embarrassment. Tony didn’t look offended, if anything he looked kind of sad as he walked over to sit near her on the couch. 

“Okay, no baths,” he amended, hands up in surrender after putting the clothes on the coffee table. “I’d still like to look at the wound though...with your permission.” She looked at him a moment before nodding her head in agreement. He patted the table in front of her as she moved up off the ground and followed his instructions, gently sitting on the table.

He stared at her for a moment before opening and closing his mouth, though no words came out. She noticed he was pointing at her sleeve, probably thinking to ask if she’s okay with his help. Pushing past his awkwardness, she simply removed the shirt to give him better access to the healed wound.

“Well,” the man chuckled out, “that’s one way to do it.” He sat closer as he looked at her shoulder, gently touching the healed skin and running a damp cloth over to remove the dried blood. “Wow,” Tony breathed out, face full of awe and wonder. “This is nothing like Steve’s…”

“Really?” she asked in confusion, peering down at the almost completely healed wound. She wasn’t completely sure what all HYDRA injected her with, but she was used to learning about her new powers; usually at the worst possible times. 

“Yeah, Steve usually needs a few hours for a bullet wound to fully heal. And for you, it’s been what? Twenty-five minutes? Holy shit it’s been twenty-five minutes. Since you...saved my family. Fuck Daci thank you for that. But...but you really didn’t have to take an actual bullet. You remember I’m Iron Man right? I could’ve…” he trailed off as he also dropped his hands to his side. 

She saw the fear in his eyes, knowing he was thinking of his kids in that moment. She reached for Peter’s spare shirt and put it on. And couldn’t help but frown when it was an Iron Man shirt.

“I know you’re a superhero, Tony. But I assessed the situation and it was the least collateral damage,” she said, repeating words she’d heard James use before.

“Daciana, you got shot.”

“And I’m already healed,” she argued, pointing to her shoulder. 

“Yeah, alright you brave, selfless little super soldier. Thank you, seriously,” Tony said sincerely, which had the girl further lower her protective walls. 

He really was one of the good guys, wasn’t he?

She took a deep breath, feeling calm and confident in his presence. 

Maybe even so to ask the question that’s been gnawing inside of her for as long as she can remember.

“Tony, could I ask you something?” He tensed, but pulled his shoulders back and nodded in agreement, breath labored in anticipation. “Could you help me figure out...what I am? What I’m…” she cringed trying to find the right words, “...made up of?” she finished, gesturing to the rest of her body. 

“That...sounds like something that would require testing, little one. You sure you don’t wanna eat something first? Maybe change your clothes?”

“So...you won’t help me?” she asked to clarify, feeling disappointed but not wanting to argue when he’d been this nice already. 

“No! I can! Absolutely. I...I just think. Well for one I think it’d help if you clean the uh...blood off. Or again, no bath and change all your clothes just to feel better. For crying out loud you just got shot. And two...it just seems like something you might want to wait for Barnes to get back to do-”

“-he doesn’t want me to know,” she interrupted his ramblings.

“Oh,” Tony said softly, “well then maybe there’s something in you that you might not be ready to hear…”

“Tony. I want to be the one to make that decision,” she said simply, feeling tired after not having slept for two days. He squinted at her for a second before a small smile appeared on his face.

“Daci you realize that would mean  **_testing_ ** on you, right?” the man asked carefully. She looked down at her lap as she considered her options, not knowing if she’ll get another chance/have the courage to ask again. “How about if I promise to talk to him about it?”

She looked up at the man in curiosity. What was he talking about? They weren’t going to stay here long...were they?

“I don’t think we’ll be here very long after they bring him back…” she said logically. His face scrunched up before the man let out a laugh. 

“Oh kid, you think Steve’s letting his long lost best friend out of his sight now that he knows he’s alive? He’ll convince him to take a floor in the tower so he can finally have a morning-jog buddy. You’ll get to pick your own room, of course…”

He continued talking, but the realization of what he said was playing on a loop in her mind. 

“You’d...you’d  _ let  _ us stay here?” she asked incredulously, head whipping up in shock. Because if James didn’t want to go back on the run...did the Avengers really want to welcome them into their home?

“Well, yeah. You...you saved my family’s life today. Why wouldn’t I give you a room?” The question had her frowning again as she looked back down at her lap. 

Cause no matter how many times James tried to convince her, she still felt like nothing more than a murderous freak.

“Hey,” he said gently, causing her to look up once more. “How about I fix you some hot chocolate? You’ve had a big day.” She’d had hot chocolate before, but didn’t get chocolate very often so quickly shook her head yes. 

Another thought popped into her head as she felt drowsiness start to consume her. Plus the couch was very comfortable. 

“Tony, where am I sleeping tonight?” she asked as she gently moved back to the very comfortable furniture. 

“Well, we have a spare room on this floor. Or you could crash on the couch you’re currently snuggling,” he said in what she recognized as a teasing tone, though she was too tired to argue - choosing instead to snuggle further as she heard a chuckle from the man. 

A blanket suddenly flew above her head before settling down on her gently. She smiled as she turned her head up to see him, noticing that the man was smiling down at her. 

“Ask JARVIS if you need anything, okay? I’ll go whip up some hot coco in case you stay awake.” She frowned before realizing he was teasing again, shaking her head fondly before turning to curl up further into the couch. 

She was so very, very tired. 

And quickly fell asleep.

* * *

She was never a heavy sleeper, but apparently little to no sleep for a week had you knocked out until it was dark out. Daci was sprawled across the couch, blanket on the floor. She sat up groggily, wiping her face with her hands from the drool dripping down her cheek. 

She can’t remember the last time she’d slept that well. 

What time was it?

“JARVIS?” she asked the ceiling robot, voice still rough from sleep but remembering Tony’s suggestion. “What time is it?”

_ “It is four thirteen in the morning, Miss.” _

“Oh, are the Avengers back? Or...do you know how far away they are?” she asked, rubbing her eyes to get the last bit of exhaustion out. 

_ “They are approximately fifteen minutes away.” _

“Really?” she asked excitedly, standing up off the couch. “Is my-is James okay?”

_ “Sergeant Barnes suffered a bullet wound but according to Dr. Banner, he’ll make a full recovery.” _

“Oh, good. Um. JARVIS is there a camera on the jet? I mean is there, anyway I can...see him?”

_ “Miss, I’m not sure-” _

“-please? Please let me see him for myself.” There was a beat of silence before the TV suddenly turned on, showing a camera feed of Steve and James talking. 

She began to breathe a sigh of relief, before she heard the audio. 

_ “Bucky what the hell are you saying?” _

_ “I can’t do this. I wasn’t supposed to survive because you were supposed to blow that place to hell with me in it!” _

_ “Why the fuck would I do that?” Steve snapped, throwing his arms out for emphasis. _

_ “Because I’m a monster!”  _

She stared at the screen for another half a second, unable to hear anything else with the ringing in her ears before addressing JARVIS again.

“Shut it off, please,” she requested as the screen turned black and she felt anger coursing through her veins. She closed her eyes tightly, taking a few deep breaths before continuing. “JARVIS?”

_ “Yes Miss?” _

“Can you direct me to where they’ll be landing and entering the tower?” she gritted the question out, clenching and unclenching her fists before following the ceiling’s instructions. It was a short walk and elevator ride to the hanger doors, and that short time did nothing for her rage. 

Though it was only a few minutes or so, it felt like an hour until she watched the plane approach and land. The Avengers piled out, all walking which she was thankful for. Until she saw that bastard. 

When he spotted her, his expression went from happy to confused to scared as she stalked over to him and past the confused superheroes. Without stopping her momentum she shoved the man in the stomach, making him fall back on his ass and skid across the ground a few feet. 

The others stopped and watched, but her eyes were on the traitor who was blinking back at her. 

“Daca esti un monstru, atunci ce sunt eu?” she growled in Romanian, traitorous tears beginning to form in her eyes. { _ If you’re a monster, then what am I? _ }

Being around those kids was making her soft. 

He raised his hands in surrender, avoiding eye contact with her as she noticed matching tears in his eyes while he shifted to a sitting position.

“Imi pare rau, miculetule,” he whispered as he finally looked at her. “I didn’t mean it,” he finished in English, reaching his flesh hand out to her. Unable to stay mad any longer, she jumped on him and threw her arms around his neck like she saw Peter do with Steve earlier, burying her face in his shoulder. { _ I’m sorry, little cub _ }

He quickly returned the hug, which they’d never done before, and even positioned her into a more comfortable position on his lap. Because of her super-hearing, she heard the sounds of the others leaving to give them privacy. But she stayed in the tight hug, wanting to show him how much she’d missed him through physical force. 

He chuckled before tapping her arm tightly, forgetting her strength and slightly releasing him. 

“I won’t leave you again,” he promised quietly, causing more tears to burn in her eyes. He hadn’t broken a promise to her yet. 

“Okay,” she said shakily, feeling a little embarrassed for her childish behavior and pulling out of the hug. But James was apparently content to sit on the laminated floor, releasing her from the hug but still cradling her on his lap. “Tony said we could stay here,” she barely whispered after a moment of silence, scared of what he might say. 

“What do you think about that?” James asked, voice not giving away his reaction. 

“I...I think I’d like that,” she confessed quietly but didn’t look at him, staying curled to his chest. She froze when he took a deep breath, her head moving and frowning from the movement. That was his  _ ‘I’m too tired to discuss this’ _ sigh.

“Maybe we can do that, then.” When the words registered, her eyes bulged and she jumped out of his lap and stood up in excitement.

“Are you serious? Could we?” she asked with hope. She was so tired of always running. Always on the lookout. Never able to sit in one place long enough to make a friend. 

Never feeling normal.

Never being around...a family. 

Was he serious?

“I said maybe, I don’t know...I don’t know if we’ll be welcome here.”

“But Tony said we could have our own floor,” she argued, doing her best not to whine. 

“I’m not talking about the Avengers,” he said as he stood up, causing her to quirk a brow in confusion. 

It took her a second to realize what he was saying. 

That they might not be welcomed by the American government. 

Or SHIELD.

“Oh,” she said in disappointment, feeling her shoulders slump in realization. “Cause we’re…”

“Super,” James filled in, causing Daci to finally smile at the man. He had used that word in the past when she called herself a freak or a killer. “But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?” He finished his question with the flesh hand out for her to hold, but she reached for the metal one instead. 

He froze for a moment before returning the grasp, gently squeezing her fingers before leading the two down the hall and towards the elevators.

“Steve told me where the spare room is,” James said quietly. “Wanna come lay down with me?” 

Warm feelings spread through her chest as she nodded in excitement, squeezing the metal hand with her strength. It was a short walk to the room where they suddenly stopped, both eyeing the very large very comfortable looking bed. She climbed right in as James began undressing. 

He stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt, but still grabbed his knife that he always kept under his pillow before joining her. Without even second guessing herself, she wrapped her arms around his chest. 

And for the first time in a long time, she truly felt safe.


	3. Chapter 3

When he woke a few hours later, he felt a weird sense of peace. Maybe it was having the five year old back in his arms. Maybe it was getting some actual nightmare-free rest. 

Whatever the case, Bucky counted his blessings. 

And hope he doesn’t slip back into that dark place again. 

He can’t do that to Daci. 

Who looked so peaceful curled up in his arms, Buck almost didn’t want to disturb her. But his bladder won out, gently moving her off and quietly making his way to the adjoining bathroom. While he was washing his hands, he realized how dirty he still was and decided to shower. 

It took him longer than he’d like to admit to figure out how the high tech shower worked, but once he was inside and standing under a waterfall of hot water, he found he couldn’t care. He pushed away any stressful thoughts, including how they’ll actually be able to stay put and how disastrous it will be to get Daci to bathe, and focused on the feeling of his muscles relaxing. 

His arm was still bothering him, but he ignored that in favor of the ridiculously fluffy and warm towels waiting for him. There were extra sweatpants and t-shirts in the cupboards, and he couldn’t help but groan when he noticed the only clean shirts available had Iron Man on them. 

Knowing Stark must’ve been the one to so graciously leave them, had him decide to go shirtless when he went back into the bedroom. He panicked for a moment when he noticed the bed was empty, until he saw the tousled brown hair barely poking above the bed on the other side. He walked around and saw her sitting on the floor, cross-legged and eyes closed. 

Meditating, like he’d taught her. 

Not wanting to disturb her, he quietly moved around the room to find a sweatshirt that didn’t have that red and gold face on it. He settled on a plain black hoodie as he heard her stir. 

“What are you doing?” Daci asked curiously, now stretching her legs out. 

“I was looking for a shirt that didn’t have Iron Man’s face on it,” he answered honestly with a smile, getting a chuckle out of her. The sound was so rare he couldn’t help but gawk back at her for a moment. 

“At least you got a choice,” she said as she pointed to her own shirt, which he just noticed also had Iron Man’s face on it. 

Jesus and Steve married this guy?

“Huh, you sure you want to stay here with these people?” he teased, regretting it when she looked scared for a second. “I’m just kidding, little cub,” he amended quickly, offering a hand to help her up. “Now come on, you need to shower.” He couldn’t help but chuckle when she went dead weight in his grasp, choosing instead to lift her up and carry her to the bathroom rather than try arguing with her. 

“But James…” 

“You’re stinky, cub. This is going to happen,” he cut her off, frowning at the high tech shower. “Well, if I can figure out how this works again it’ll happen,” he said as he placed her on the ground. 

“Why didn’t you ask JARVIS?” she asked as she began taking off her clothes. 

“Who?”

“JARVIS. The ceiling robot. JARVIS can you make the water come down like warm rain?” she asked as Bucky’s face scrunched up in further confusion. The shower started as he suddenly remembered the AI that Steve had told him about. 

“Okay,” he said, still a little skeptical. “Do you need my help?” Buck asked even as she got in and closed the door behind her. 

“I’m not a baby,” she answered with a little glare, causing him to raise his hands in surrender with a chuckle and leave the bathroom...with the door open. He didn’t care if he was being paranoid, there was never a chance he’d ever really let his guard down. 

Not since he decided he couldn’t lose her again. 

He looked for an outfit for her and thought about how he only had a few minutes to think about what he wanted to say to her, she was always quick since she hated being wet. All he’d ever wanted was to give her a chance of a normal life, let her actually  _ be a kid _ , so how was he going to tell her not to get her hopes up? 

Too soon he heard the water shut off and the soft whisper of “oh my god.” With a confused smile he stepped back into the bathroom, seeing her tiny face of awe as she wrapped the warm fluffy towel around her. After tossing her clothes on the counter, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame, smiling and watching her look genuinely happy for once. 

“Is this magic?” she asked as she made no move to actually dry herself, just burrito herself in the towel. 

“No,” he said with a chuckle, walking over to help her dry her hair/make sure she actually cleaned herself. “It’s a towel warmer, but I also thoroughly enjoyed it.” After he handed her her clothes, he grabbed a comb and walked back to sit on the bed. 

After dressing herself, she followed him wordlessly and sat in front of him, waiting as Bucky took a breath to prepare himself. 

“So, this place is pretty great, huh?” he asked, frowning when she stiffened in front of him. He was gentle as he began combing her hair and patient as he waited for her answer. When she only nodded, he decided to continue. “Look, Daci. I like this place too. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up if it doesn’t work. Sometimes things that seem too good to be true... _ are _ too good to be true.” 

Even with the life they led, he always tried to be gentle. Remind himself she’s literally five and a child who deserved some shred of innocence - especially after everything she’d been through.

She curled in on herself which made him snap out of his thoughts and try to point out the positive. 

“That doesn’t mean we can’t try. And it certainly doesn’t mean I won’t do what I can to keep us here. Even if I have to wear Iron Man underwear to do it,” he added, smiling when she finally loosened and laughed at that. She even leaned back against him, smiling back up at him. 

Fuck he loved this kid. 

“Would you really wear Iron Man underwear?” she asked, making him growl and rethink his previous statement. 

“For you, yes. Now come on. Let’s go get some breakfast, okay?” he asked, smiling at her nod and got up to follow her back down the hall to the kitchen. 

They heard them before they saw them, Steve’s two youngest singing loudly from their highchairs around the table. Stark must’ve still been asleep, since it was just Steve in the kitchen with his back turned towards them. 

He thought he remembered Steve saying something about having three kids...but maybe he misheard him. 

“Morning, how’d you guys sleep?” Steve asked without turning around, flipping pancakes as Buck just muttered “fine” and walked over to find a cup for coffee. “Cups are above you,” the blonde commented, still not looking up as Bucky helped himself. 

“So, what are the tiny ones’ names again?” he asked as he sipped on black coffee and walked over to the table with the singing babies making a mess of themselves with the fruit and oatmeal on their plates. 

“This is Morgan and this one’s Harley,” Daci answered for Steve, pointing to the kids as she sat between them. The two stopped singing for a moment and waved at the man. 

“Juice Papa!” the blonde boy shouted, holding his empty sippy cup in the air. The blonde man smiled as he turned around, walking over to the toddler. 

“What do we say?”

“Pwease?” 

“So, Papa, huh?” Bucky asked the man, who blushed slightly from the question. 

“Yeah. Tony’s ‘Daddy’ and I took ‘Papa.’ You got a problem with that?” Steve asked, and  _ there _ was the kid he knew before everything changed. Bucky couldn’t help smiling as he shook his head, watching the father get his kid more juice before cleaning up the other one.

“It suits you. Still not so sure about your spouse, though…”

“You’ve never even met him,” Steve returned with a mock glare. 

“He’s Howard’s kid...” Buck pointed out with a smirk.

“Yeah, don’t ever bring that up. Another story for another time,” Steve said in a clipped voice, causing Bucky to actually listen.

“Fine. But you don’t have to know him to know he’s an ego maniac. The man was so gracious he gave me and Daci clothes with his face on it.” Steve looked over, brow raised at Bucky’s shirt, reminding the brunette to add, “I had to dig to find this.” He just rolled his eyes when the blonde laughed at that.

“My husband is a very generous man. And yeah, also maybe a narcissist…” Steve agreed with a laugh. “But just give him time, he grows on you.”

“Wow, what a romantic love story. You should write a book,” Bucky deadpanned. 

“I’ll have you know our love story is one for the ages. And yes, that was a double meaning. Cause we’re both old,” Steve joked back as they heard the sounds of tiny feet approaching. The brunette looked up in confusion when a boy about Daci’s age made his way into the kitchen. Huh...maybe there were three. 

The tiny brunette padded over, staring at the taller brunette in shock before his eyes settled on the blonde and he shouted “PAPA!”

While Bucky regained control of his hearing, he watched as the boy sprinted past Bucky to cling to Steve, who had safely stepped away from the stove in preparation. 

“I promised you, didn’t I Petey?” Steve said as he kissed the boy all over his face. It was cute and all, but Bucky still had unanswered questions. 

“So how exactly did you end up with Stark?” 

“Jesus, Buck,” Steve said with a laugh as he juggled the boy and continued flipping pancakes, “you’re reorienting back into civilian life - in this century - and your first questions involve my choice in husbands?” 

It was of course at that point the devil they spoke of walked into the kitchen, ignoring everyone and walking straight to the coffee. 

“Morning sweetheart,” Steve said to the disheveled man who grunted in response. Bucky couldn’t help the snort that escaped him, ignoring Steve’s glare that quickly melted when the shorter brunette leaned against the blonde as he sipped his coffee. 

“Daddy’s sleepy,” the boy Peter said with a chuckle, still in Steve’s arms. Bucky’s gaze turned back to Daci while they talked, smiling at the girl who was listening intently to the baby’s ramblings. 

“Tony, honey, this is Bucky. Buck, my husband, Tony,” the blonde introduced the two as he put the boy back on the ground. Bucky turned back to the couple and extended his gloved hand in greeting, frowning when the shorter brunette just stared at the hand. 

“Got a problem?” Buck asked in offense, drawing his hand back and crossing his arms over his chest.

“No, actually I’m just curious about the arm. Is it bothering you?” the shorter man asked as he stepped into the other man’s personal space. Bucky took a step back, glaring at the supposed genius who took the hint. “Sorry, um, good to meet you. You’ve got a great kid over there.” 

The comment momentarily had Bucky dropping his glare as he stole a glance back at the girl before turning back to the man. 

Until the supposed genius spoke again.

“Still can’t believe she took a bullet for us…” Bucky felt his heart drop down to his shoes, whipping his head around to look at the child whose eyes were bulging from their sockets. 

“What did you say?” he growled quietly, asking the man but eyes trained on the child who was avoiding eye contact with him. “Daciana…” he said as he stalked over to her. 

“It was a through and through and it’s healed now,” Daci whispered in her defense, curling in on herself. 

“Where?” 

“James…”

“Unde ai fost impuscat?” he asked as he squatted down next to her, checking her body for injuries even though he had just literally seen her naked. { _ Where did you get shot? _ }

“My shoulder,” she said with a pout, pulling her sleeve to show him. He poked and prodded the area, frowning even though there was no evidence of the bullet wound. 

“De ce ai luat un glont pentru acesti oameni?” { _ Why did you take a bullet for these people? _ }

“Pentru ca era lucrul potrivit.” Damn, he knew his own words would come back to bite him. He took a deep breath to try and swallow his anger, reminding himself she was just a kid. { _ Because it was the right thing to do _ }

“For what it’s worth, she saved me  **and** my kids,” Stark spoke up on her behalf, catching Buck off guard enough to look back at him. “We were at the park and a man pulled a gun on my family. I’m not happy she risked herself either, but she’s a little hero, that one.” 

Buck took a breath to steady his nerves, looking at Daci for a long moment before a certain blonde interrupted his anger stance to shove him into a chair. He had to grip his fists when instincts told him to lash out, knowing it was Steve and he wouldn’t actually hurt him. 

“Pancakes are ready,” Steve said loudly, placing a large stacked plate in front of him. He stole a glance at Daci, who looked both guilty and hungry. He arranged himself more comfortably in his seat as the family began distributing the food and talking. He looked over at Daci again, feeling guilty for his outburst before reaching over to grip her wrist twice. 

That was a signal between the two of them, letting one know the other was okay. 

It seemed to do the job, getting a nod from the girl before she began eating quietly, the two watching the family interact.

“Gaga!” the youngest, Morgan, cried out after a few minutes and clapped her hands. 

“You want your Gaga? Are you done eating?” Steve asked her as he stood up and began to look around. 

“What’s a gaga?” Daci asked next to him as they watched Steve clean her face before handing her a...stuffed alligator?

“It’s what she calls her stuffed animal,” Tony explained with a smile, pushing his empty plate away. 

“But she has to be done and clean before she can have it,” Steve further explained as he handed the baby to the man with outstretched arms. 

“So it’s for babies?” Daci clarified, making Buck almost drop the fork he held to his mouth. He knew it was his fault, why she didn’t know what toys were. Or that they were in fact appropriate for kids, not just babies. 

When you’re on the run, you can’t hold onto material possessions. You have to prepare to leave everything behind. 

But now...maybe she could have a comfort toy of some kind. 

“No, the boys each have a stuffy as well. They just tend to keep theirs in their rooms for bedtime,” Steve explained gently with a smile. Or at least it was in his voice, since Bucky was too chicken-shit to look up and see the Rogers’ look of disapproval. 

He didn’t need the reminder that he’s failed her a number of times. 

“Harley has a monkey and Peter has a teddy bear,” Tony added as Morgan played with her toy on his lap. “They got them from their parents. Hey if you want, we can order you one too! If you guys are taking the floor below us you’ll need your own clothes and furniture as well.”

Bucky took that opportunity to glance at the man, searching for signs of falsehood or worse - pity. But he found none, just an over-eager man who seemed genuine. When he looked back at Daci, she was looking up at him with hope and desperate approval. 

“Well,” he said with a small smile, “if we’re going to live here then I guess that makes sense.”

The smile his response got was almost worth the dread sitting in his stomach. But the dread was suddenly overpowered by the pain suddenly slicing his arm. 

He winced and grabbed the metal with his flesh hand, hating showing any signs of weakness. 

“You should really let Tony take a look at it,” Steve said with a sympathetic smile as he began grabbing the empty plates. 

“I wouldn’t mind,” Tony added a little too cheerily as he stood up with the baby in his arms. He looked back at Daci who gave him a reassuring smile. 

Bucky exhaled slowly before turning to nod at the genius. 

“Yes! Alright, let’s go to my lab,” Stark said as he handed the baby over to Steve. “Stevie doesn’t mind watching four kids, right Rogers?” he finished with a hint of ire, which confused Bucky. 

“Not at all, come on kiddos,” Steve said with an unamused face. 

“This is just the beginning,” Stark said to the blonde with squinted eyes as Bucky began following the man down the hall, even more confused when he heard Steve call out after them, “love you too!”

He raised a brow at the shorter man when they got into the elevator, who rolled his eyes and huffed dramatically. 

“Yesterday when he went to get you, he left me alone with the four kids,” Stark explained as they got out and walked into his lab. 

“Are they really that ba-”

“-he suggested I take them to the park,” Stark interrupted with a glare, pointing to a stool for Bucky to sit on.

“Oh,” Bucky said in understanding, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, he’s a dumbass.”

“Thank you!” Stark exclaimed, startling the taller brunette for a moment. “Sorry, just...sit here and I’ll have JARVIS scan your arm.” Bucky followed his instructions, still eyeing the genius warily. “JARVIS do a full scan, is it alright if I touch it?” he asked as Bucky nodded again. 

He sat quietly while Stark looked his arm over, weighing it in his hands as the genius looked over every inch of the metal arm. After a few minutes in silence he winced when the pain flared up again, thankful when the shorter man took a step back in understanding. 

“Sorry, they really did a number on you, huh?” Stark murmured apologetically, looking around his lab before grabbing a tablet and a jar of some kind. “This is a numbing ointment, I’m going to put it around your shoulder where the skin connects to the metal. And while I’m looking at it, I want you to use this to order you and Daci whatever you guys need,” he finished as he handed the tablet to Bucky’s flesh hand. 

He watched as Stark swiped the tablet and brought up an online store. 

“Add whatever you think you two need to a cart and I’ll pay for it. We should get it by tomorrow.” Bucky couldn’t help looking back at him in surprise. 

“You’re okay with that? With...all of this?” he asked skeptically. He felt a little uncomfortable when Stark really looked at him and his expression turned soft. 

“Barnes, I have more money than I can spend in my lifetime. You're my husband’s best friend, he trusts you. And I trust Daci, it’s a no brainer.” Bucky couldn’t help smiling at that, vulnerable when it came to that little girl. 

“I see why Steve likes you,” he said after a moment, not knowing how to properly thank the man. “He said you were a generous man.” Stark squirmed a little from the praise, so Bucky didn’t say anything else, just grabbed the tablet and started browsing. 

“Thanks...hey I um...I promised Daci I’d ask you about something. She uh...wants to know what all she is made up of.” Bucky froze where he was sitting and felt a chill go up his spine. He sat quietly for a moment, wondering what he could trust this man with before the genius shifted awkwardly next to him. “I know it’s not my business, but I said I’d ask-”

“-I understand,” Bucky interrupted the shorter man’s ramblings. “I just uh, I know what they put in her. I saw her file. I’ll...tell her when she’s ready.” Stark nodded his head in understanding before continuing scanning his arm. 

They stayed in comfortable silence for another minute, Bucky picking up where he left off on his online shopping, before the genius spoke up again. 

“You know, I could make you a better arm. Nicer material, lighter weight so it’s not so straining on your muscles…” Stark said quietly as Buck found the perfect toy for Daci. He added it to the cart, along with clothes and books for Daci and himself, before turning to the genius. 

“Yeah...thank you Tony,” he said, figuring he owed the man that much. The genius smiled brightly at him, opening his mouth to say something before JARVIS interrupted them. 

“ _ Sir, there has been an altercation and you are both requested back upstairs _ .”

“Shit,” Tony said as they shared a look of concern before the two ran back to the elevator and into the living room. 

Where Steve was walking around trying to soothe a screaming toddler while their other two kids looked equally upset huddled on the couch.

...with no sign of Daci…

“What happened?” Bucky asked, a dreadful feeling in his chest as he watched Tony walk around to comfort his kids.

“I’m not sure, I was in the kitchen when I heard Daci shout something, then something breaking and Harley crying. When I came in here Harley was on his back on the broken coffee table, Peter yelling at me Daci is evil, and no sign of Daciana,” Steve said with panic in his voice. 

“That’s cause she is!” the boy yelled, tightening his arms around his baby sister. “I was trying to share my toys and she broke them and hurt Harley!”

“Oh, baby, let me see,” Tony said to Harley as he took the toddler from his husband’s arms. 

“Where is she, JARVIS?” he asked the ceiling, addressing the AI for the first time. 

“ _ She is in the guest room _ .” 

Bucky walked quickly to the room, trying not to let the anger rise in his chest.  _ Did she use her powers on the toddler? _

He opened the door, frowning when he couldn’t immediately see or hear her. 

“Daciana?” he said evenly, not getting a response. 

He first checked under the bed, then the bathroom before he heard a sniffle come from behind the closet door. 

He gently opened it, not wanting to scare the child as he heard her whimper in fear. She was curled in a ball, facing a corner of the closet with her head hunched down. Without saying a word, he walked into the large and empty closet to sit across from her, crossing his legs to appear smaller and less intimidating. 

“Daciana...do you want to tell me what happened?” he asked calmly. 

“I hurt a baby, I’m a bad girl,” she whimpered before bursting into sobs, hugging her knees that much closer to her chest. 

“Daci,” he said sadly, because he knew that was her biggest fear, “we’ve talked about this, one bad action does not make you a bad person. But I know you. And I know you wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose unless you were triggered. So again, do you want to tell me what happened?” 

He watched her slowly get control of her breathing, smiling at her with pride even if she couldn’t face him. 

“Peter wanted me to play Transformers,” she began with a shaky breath, wiping her eyes before continuing. “Except he wanted me to play the bad guy, Megatron. I said I don’t want to be the bad guy and he said it’s fine, we would switch after but he wanted to play the good guy first. I kept saying I didn’t want to be bad, and then...then I got really mad cause he kept saying it over and over. I snapped and broke his toy and stomped my foot and...and Harley flew back into the coffee table! I didn’t mean to!” she cried out before sobbing again. 

He was never great with physical touch, but he didn’t hesitate this time to grab her and bring her into his lap in a bone crushing hug. 

“It’s okay, little cub, I believe you. You’re not in trouble. You’re still a good girl,” he repeated like a mantra until her cries died out. His heart twisted for her, knowing all too well the consequences of triggered actions. They stayed like that for a few more minutes until Bucky shifted her in his arms in order to stand up. 

“We’re still going to go apologize though. Cause that’s what good people do.”

He repositioned her so her head could rest on his shoulder, metal arm supporting her bottom while the other one was wrapped around her middle. He smiled when she buried her face into his shoulder, not caring about how wet it felt and walking the two back to the living room. 

Steve was sitting on the couch with Harley in his lap while Tony sat on the ground with Peter and Morgan, gluing the toy back together. He was glad Daci’s face was hidden, cause the squirming and cuddling into the blonde by the tiny scared blonde made Bucky feel bad, even though it seemed like the little boy was surprisingly unharmed. Though he noticed some Batman bandaids on his elbows. 

“How’s he doing?” he asked Steve, feeling better about the smile on his best friend’s face even when Daci tightened herself around him. 

“He got some boo boos on his elbows, and he’s a little scared, but he’ll be okay.”

“Mind if we sit here?” he motioned to the space next to the blondes, sitting next to them as Steve nodded okay. He held Daci close to him as they sat on the couch, happy to explain everything for her. “Before I rescued her, Daci was with bad people that made her do bad things. So when Peter wanted her to be the bad guy, she remembered and got really upset…”

“Wait, Peter you did not tell us that!” Tony said in shock. “Why wouldn’t you let her be the good guy in the first place?”

“I said we were going to switch! And I’m always Optimus Prime, he’s my favorite,” the boy explained with a whine. 

“Daciana is very sorry she scared you and hurt you, Harley. And broke your toy, Peter. She would never intentionally hurt any of you,” Bucky spoke again, shifting Daci around so she could see Harley. “You have something to say, little cub?”

“I’m sorry,” Daci croaked out, wiping her eyes but looking at Harley when she apologized. 

Steve rubbed the toddler’s back and smiled at the girl as the little boy sucked his thumb. 

“See baby? It was an accident. She didn’t mean it, can you tell her that it’s okay?” Steve gently asked the toddler as he wiped some of the hair from his eyes. 

“S’okay,” Harley mumbled, eyelids slowly falling closed. 

“And Peter? I think you owe Daci an apology,” Steve said to the boy who looked shocked. 

“But, but she broke my toy…”

“Which I’m fixing. But you hurt her feelings and weren’t very nice about sharing,” Tony said sternly. “She apologized, and you need to as well young man.”

“Fine,” the boy sighed dramatically before getting up and walking over to them. “I’m sorry for hurting your feelings,” he said to Daci’s back, since she was still cuddled in Buck’s embrace. “And I’m sorry for calling you ‘evil’, I didn’t know bad guys had you,” the boy finished more sincerely, causing Daci to pull back a little to turn to him. 

“ _ Thank you _ ,” she whispered before turning back and hugging Bucky tighter, the tips of her ears adorably pink. He stole a glance at his old best friend, huffing a little when the man looked almost teary-eyed at the kids. 

“Alright, I think it’s time for a nap. Come on cub,” Bucky said as he stood the two up off the couch. 

“The rest of the Avengers are coming for dinner, just a heads up!” Steve called after them, making the brunette subconsciously shift the kid closer to his chest as he walked back to their temporary bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

She awoke about two hours later, feeling slightly embarrassed with herself. James, who was always a light sleeper, began to shift when he realized she was awake. She didn’t look him in the eye, afraid of seeing the disappointment in his face. 

Yes, he had said it wasn't completely her fault. But...she still hurt Harley. Thankful she didn’t accidentally crack his skull.

Maybe they shouldn’t stay here. Maybe she was too dangerous to stay here. 

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” James asked, almost startling her. 

“Maybe I’m too dangerous,” she confessed, as she was always honest with him. “To...stay here.”

“If you really thought that, you would’ve told Steve earlier...and you wouldn’t have asked me to stay,” he said simply, making pointed eye contact with her. 

“But maybe-”

“-Daciana this tower is filled with superheroes who have made mistakes in their past. You know their files.  _ You know mine _ ,” he added more quietly. “Everyone makes mistakes, you just try harder not to do it again.”

She nodded, feeling a little better but still insecure. 

" _ What if they find out what happened and hate me _ ?" she whispered in pain, confessing a deeper fear that had been hurting her stomach. 

“Daciana. Look at me,” he commanded in a soft tone. She did immediately, not out of fear but because he almost always made her feel better. “I promise they won’t hate you. And if it would put your mind at ease - I can ask them. But I have a feeling they will sympathize with you and maybe even offer a hug...which I know you’re not comfortable with yet…”

“Really?” she asked with hope. “They-”

“-they know that you’re a child. No matter what. If anything they’ll be scared of me,” he tried to play as a joke, but she didn’t find it funny. She shook her head to get her point across. “You’re right,” James continued, “they shouldn’t - and probably aren’t - scared cause again, they’re superheroes. You’ve got nothing to worry about, kid. And as for controlling your powers...Steve told me one of these floors has a gym. If you want, we can go down and start training where we left off.”

“Okay!” she agreed with glee, glad to see it get a chuckle out of the man. 

“Good. I’m hungry. Wanna go see if Steve’s made dinner?” James asked as Daci nodded in excitement before racing him to the door. She smiled as he chuckled and held a hand up for her to wait before he walked into the bathroom. 

As he left the door cracked, she took a moment to steady herself. Closing her eyes, she tried to squeeze a tiny meditation in before facing the Avengers again. 

None of them seemed to really like her that much, except for maybe Clint. He made her laugh.

The sound of flushing water followed by running water snapped her out of her thoughts, offering him a smile when he walked back in and looked a little concerned. 

“Gata?” he asked her. { _ ready? _ } 

She nodded before grabbing his metal hand, squeezing tightly and following him down the hall to the sounds of loud chatter and laughter. Daci instinctually stepped behind James and released his hand when they made it to the entranceway of the living room, suddenly anxious with the loud noises. 

“Hey guys!” Tony called out from the floor, sitting with Morgan on the carpet. The chatter immediately died out as everyone turned and greeted them. With friendly tones, too. Well, at least friendly faces, since she didn’t think the redhead was capable of smiling. She was still peering around James, body behind his but taking in everyone’s smiling faces as they resumed chatter more quietly. 

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Tony added with a smile, the girl suddenly able to smell tomato and garlic wafting from the kitchen. It was amazing. She found herself walking around James, offering the room a nod before leaving it to find the kitchen. She heard some chuckles and Tony had called her name with a laugh, but she figured she didn’t have to listen if he was joking. 

Besides, the smell was a million times better up close. 

“What are you making?” she asked Steve, who was facing the stove and stirring a giant pot. He turned and smiled at her before reaching back for a spoon. 

“Chicken parmesan, wanna be my taste tester? How’s the marinara?” Steve asked as he dipped the spoon in the red sauce before holding it out to her. She gingerly took it and gave it an experimental lick before her face exploded into a smile. 

“This is very good!” she said as she licked the rest off before handing it back to the man. Steve chuckled as he took the spoon back and tried some himself. 

“I have to agree,” the blonde said with a smile before checking the oven door. “It’s still going to be a few minutes though. You’re welcome to hang out here with me, or you can go save Bucky from Harley. That toddler has a billion questions for new people...especially those with a shiny arm…” 

As if on cue, they heard the Avengers laugh followed by the numerous questions coming from a certain toddler’s mouth.

With a sigh, Daci left the kitchen and went back into the living room full of people. The other Avengers were sitting around on the couches, Peter sitting on the very tall blonde man’s lap. James was sitting on the floor by Tony, now with a lap full of Harley and looking incredibly uncomfortable. Daci walked around and sat down next to them, looking around to see Morgan sitting in Natasha’s lap. 

Her presence had the toddler’s questions die out, which made her feel incredibly guilty until she realized it wasn’t cause the boy was scared of her. Harley crawled out of James’ lap and asked the girl if she wanted to play blocks with him. She stole a glance at James and couldn’t help blushing when he looked back at her with pride. 

She sat carefully next to the toddler and began building blocks with him, smile brightening when she heard Morgan makes noises before the redhead let her on the ground and she crawled over to join them. 

Maybe they weren’t as scared of her as she thought. 

After a few minutes, Steve called them all to the dining table. Daci sat between James and Clint, glad to see the blonde sit next to her without hesitation. She was quiet throughout the meal, partially because the food was amazing and she wanted to stuff her face. 

And partially because she was taking in how the heroes interacted with each other. They weren’t nearly as hostile as when they first met her and had been nothing but friendly to James. Maybe they could live here, amongst other ‘super’ people. 

Clint started telling embarrassing stories about Steve, claiming he was helping James ‘catch up.’

Daci smiled and listened to the other Avengers joining in. Tony’s story was the one that finally broke James as he actually laughed out loud by the end of it. She turned to him in surprise, as did just about everyone else around the table, which only encouraged Tony to talk more. 

Which got Steve to interrupt with ‘Tony stories’. 

Overall, it was delightful. This place already felt like a ‘home’. And maybe one day she can say it feels like  _ her _ home. 

Just when she thought she couldn’t eat another bite, Steve brought a cake out for dessert. It was delicious. 

After dinner, Steve plucked Morgan from Tony’s lap and sent him to do the dishes, but the chuckling brunette didn’t seem to mind. Daci followed the others back to the living room, a smile on her face and a slight skip to her step. 

That was, until the ceiling robot alerted them of something. 

_ "Captain, Agent Coulson is currently on his way up the elevator." _

“Shit,” Clint said next to her, causing the child to suddenly switch to being defensive. It didn’t help when all eyes turned to James and Daci as even Tony quickly made his way back to the living room. 

As a man in a suit walked into the living room, Daci felt a hand gently grab her wrist. She didn’t even realize she was clenching her fists, relaxing when James pulled her closer to his side. 

“Agent, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Tony asked, standing next to Steve. 

“I think you know why I’m here, Stark,” the man said, looking over at Daci and James. She couldn’t help the look of shock when the Avengers suddenly shifted on the couches, almost like they were protecting her and James from this new person. 

“Nothing illegal has been done,” Steve said evenly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“And I’m not here to arrest anyone. Fury wants to talk to the two of them in person.” 

“Why?” Clint asked, making Daci feel warm inside. 

“You know that’s classified, Barton,” the man said in a somber tone. “This is me asking, not SHIELD demanding.” There was a minute of silence as the heroes looked at each other before James cleared his throat next to her. 

“We can do that,” he said, surprising everyone. Including Daci. 

“What?” she asked in disbelief. 

“Daca vrem sa ramanem aici, trebui sa facem acest lucru,” he said to her gently. { _I_ _ f we want to stay here, then we have to do this} _

“We just finished dinner do they have to leave right this second?” Tony asked, hands on his hips. 

“I’m afraid so,” the man said. 

“I can go with them,” Steve piped in, not noticing the glare from his husband. 

“Like hell you are! It’s almost bedtime and you are not going anywhere,” Tony said with a huff. 

“We can handle ourselves,” James said, standing up off the couch and extending a hand out to Daci. She grabbed his hand and started following him. 

“How long should it take?” Steve asked, still being protective of them. 

“I’ll have them back in an hour,” the man said with a smile. 

“I’m setting a timer, Coulson!” Clint called out from the couch, causing Daci to turn to him and smile, brightening when the man winked back at her. 

She felt a little scared but James let her hold his hand the whole way, so she felt a little better. 

SHIELD headquarters was smaller than she imagined. She remained silent but observant as they walked into the building and into an elevator. People looked at them as they passed, but everyone looked passive so she let it slide. 

She still planned exit strategies and looked for people’s weaknesses, but behaved herself all the up to Fury’s office. There was a female receptionist sitting behind a table who greeted the three with a smile. 

“Coulson, Fury’s expecting you.”

“Thanks Pam,” the Coulson guy said before turning to the two. “I think it’d be better if Daciana waited out here while you two talked.” The girl’s eyebrows shot up her head, because if this man thought James would let her out of his sight…

“That’s probably for the best,” James said quietly, just as Daci let go of his hand and whipped around to face him in shock. He kneeled in front of her, holding both hands up in surrender. “I have a feeling he is going to say some things that your ears shouldn’t hear,” he explained gently as she felt her anger subside slightly. 

She looked around the room again, seeing a nice-looking lady and a comfy-looking couch. Taking a breath to steady her fear, she turned and nodded at him. He smiled proudly at her before following the man into the other room. 

The agent didn’t join them, just introduced the two before coming back into the lobby area and stopping in front of her. 

“Would you like a drink? I think Thor left some capri sun in the fridge?” the man offered kindly, but Daci had no idea what that was. 

“Um, I’m okay,” Daci answered with a shrug.

“Very well, if you’ll excuse me,” he said before nodding to both women, leaving the two alone. She watched the elevator door close before walking over to the couch. She was right, it was comfy. 

“If you’d like to color, I have paper and colored pencils?” the woman - Pam - offered with a smile. 

“No thank you,” Daci declined, not in the mood for whatever she expected her to do with those things. No, that’s not true, she had watched Peter and Harley ‘color’ earlier. 

Her mind drifts back to that instance and the conversation she and Peter had, before he suggested playing with toys. 

The four children were sitting in the living room while Steve cleaned the kitchen, Peter and Harley coloring on the coffee table while she let Morgan snuggle up with her on the couch as the baby struggled to keep her eyes open.

_ "Your dad’s pretty cool, Daci," Peter said with a smile.  _

_ "He’s not my dad," she replied cooly, trying to keep her voice steady. It was a sensitive topic for her.  _

_ "Oh, do you know who you parents are?" Peter asked, blunt but still in a kind tone.  _

_ "Yeah, they were bad guys. Scientists who gave me up to be experimented on." _

_ "Oh, I’m sorry. Are they still alive? My dads can kick their butts!" _

_ "No, pretty sure they died…" _

_ "Huh, well you got a good parent now and that’s what’s important. We were lucky to get Daddy and Papa." _

_ "But...James isn’t my parent?" she asked in confusion. The boy just shrugged his shoulder before huffing dramatically.  _

_ "Well, he sure does act like he’s your dad. But whatever. Wanna play with my transformers?" _

It’s not like she could currently color anyway...she had bigger things to worry about. 

Like the ding of the elevator door opening. She sat up at attention, watching with a frown as four men in SHIELD tactical uniforms walk up to reception. 

“Miss Pamela, how’s it going? You’re looking particularly gorgeous today…” one of the men crooned while one of them turned towards Daciana. 

“Oh shit, is that the kid?” the man asked as the others turned to look at her. She felt her body ridge up in anticipation as the receptionist tried to turn them away. 

“Fellas, I have a feeling Director Fury won’t be happy about-”

“-You sure that’s  _ the kid _ ? She doesn’t really look like him…”

“Seriously?” the one that had flirted with Pam asked and stalked over to the child. “She looks just like him! That’s definitely his little clone.” Daci sat there for a moment, racking her brain for the definition of that word. And then it hit her. 

“I don’t know, Rumlow, she doesn’t look like the Winter Soldier to me…”

“What did you say?” she asked quietly, not sure if these men knew who they were dealing with. 

“Oh shit! I thought she was a retarded mute,” one of the men joked. 

“Guys, I really think you should get going,” Pamela said, obviously the one with any brain cells. 

Cause she couldn’t control her strength or her powers very well when she was angry...and these guys were starting to make her mad. 

“So you’re some tiny super-soldier clone? You don’t seem that tough to me. Then again, you  **are** a girl,” another man puffed out before the other idiots joined him in laughter. 

This was all already too much for one small mind to process...but add that to the ongoing button-pressing from these men and Daciana knew she was about to lose it. 

She tapped on her right leg to steady herself, a physical mantra to keep her cool and not murder these four morons. Even if...even if what they were saying kind of made sense.

Now that she thinks about it...her and James - they had the same hair color. And eye color. And if she really thought about it she noticed little things that they did that were similar. 

But that would mean HYDRA lied about her parents being scientists...which was...not that unbelievable... 

...also...did that mean James knew? 

Her racing thoughts were interrupted when one of them had the audacity to sit next to her. She turned to the man with a glare, eyeing the shortest and apparently dumbest of the group. 

“See all she’s missing is the metal arm,” the man said, reaching out to touch her arm but not making it’s target, as she grabbed his wrist and twisted it. Not breaking the bone, but giving the man a good sprain as he screamed in response. Guns were drawn as she quickly got up to disarm the one closest to her, knocking him back against the wall before throwing a potted plant at the third guy that had drawn his gun, leaving behind the only one with a name. Rumlow. 

“You’re a little psycho bitch, you know that?”

“Rumlow stand down!” Pamela shouted from the side, Daci not completely aware of her location as she only had eyes for Rumlow.

“She needs to be put down,” the man snarled out as he pointed his gun at her, at least smart enough to take several steps back and out of her reach. But she didn’t need him to be within arm’s reach. She just needed to be able to see him. 

She cocked her head to the side, using the power a voice in the back of her mind reminded her she’d promised James she wouldn’t use - but ignored that in favor of using her mind to squish a person’s brain, killing them and making them bleed from their eyes. 

That’s how Rumlow looked, red tears beginning to form when her name was shouted out, making her stop her powers and release the choking man who collapsed onto the ground.

“Daciana!” James shouted, standing in the wide open doorway with a horrified expression on his face. Nick Fury stood behind him, looking both curious and mad.

A range of emotions flew through her, but anger won out as she decided to get as far away from here as possible. So she ran. Taking the staircase and jumping between flights. Her tears made it hard to see, and even though blood was pounding in her ears she could hear James chase after her. 

She picked a random floor and stuck with it, going through the door and running down the hall...straight into a dead end. She stopped running, clenching and unclenching her fists but refusing to turn around. Even when she heard James come to a stop behind her. 

Tears burned her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing, clenching her eyes shut and shaking her head to physically get the thoughts out of her head. Bad thoughts about how and why and  _ did he know? _

“Daciana,” he said gently, sounding closer this time. 

“Did you know?” she asked, cutting straight to the point with her eyes still clenched shut and her hands began to shake. 

“Know what?” 

“That I’m...a clone,” she said angrily as she turned to face him. " ** _Y_** **_our_ ** clone," she added, unable to stop the onslaught of tears and tremors in her voice. Her bottom lip was wobbling too, which she hated because she was not some  _ weak baby _ . 

“Draga...” he said, similar tremors in his voice. { _ Sweetheart... _ }

“Raspunde-mi!” she shouted back, so very tempted to fight him in order to keep running. { _ Answer me! _ }

James raised his hands as he squatted down, sitting on his bottom with his legs crossed so they were eye to eye. 

“Yes, Daciana, I did know,” he said quietly after another moment of silence, still maintaining eye contact even as tears once again flooded her vision. She took a step back away from him, back finding the wall and sliding down to sit against it. He watched her with sad eyes, waiting until she settled to continue. “I’ve known since before I met you...I just...I wanted you to have a chance. A fresh start so you could be your own person, to not be tied to my mistakes. I...thought it was...for the best…” he finished by looking at the ground, no longer making eye contact as she considered his words. And the tears beginning to stain his pants. 

“You thought it was better if I thought my parents were HYDRA scientists that gave me away...instead of being your clone? Do you...do you really hate me that much?” she asked in sad realization. Because this was another deep dark fear she had hiding away. 

“What?” he asked in shock, head springing up as he gawked at her. “No! Of course not Daciana.”

“So just clones then? I get it. I’m not even a real person, am I? I’m just a copy…” she trailed off sadly as she saw James scooting to sit directly in front of her. 

“That’s not true.”

“Yes it is,” she whimpered before bursting into more tears, covering her face with her hands. She felt James reach over to her, surprised when he only pulled one of her hands out to clench it with his flesh hand. Quietly, she watched him as he leaned forward and pulled her hand to rest against his neck. 

“Tell me what you feel,” he demanded gently. She hiccuped and looked confused at him before she felt his pulse under her fingertips. 

“Your heartbeat?” she asked, not sure where he was going with this. He only smiled back at her before moving her hand to feel her own throat. 

“Now what do you feel?” 

“My heartbeat?” she answered with a quirked brow. James then brought her hand back to him, placing it against his chest with her fingers splayed out. 

“What about now?” he asked as he also took an exaggerated breath, making his chest move against her hand. 

“Your breath?” she asked with a small smile, since she rarely got to see him be ‘silly.’ Following the pattern, he brought her hand back to her own chest. She looked at him, waiting for him to ask when he finally did with his eyebrows and a smile on his face. “My breath?” 

Those words got James to smile bigger than she’d ever seen him, looking proud of her for some reason. 

“See? You’re human too. Got a beating heart and pumping lungs just like me. You’re not a ‘copy’ or whatever you called it. You’re a flawed human like the rest of us. Except instead of sharing DNA with two people, you got stuck with just me,” he explained gently. 

“But...I’m a science experiment! I wasn’t even born like other chi-”

“-children are brought into this world in all different kinds of ways, little cub. Doesn’t give them any less rights then other people,” he interrupted her and released her hands to sit back again. The sick feeling in her stomach was slowly going away, making her wonder if he was really telling the truth. 

“So,” she asked, chewing on her bottom lip in worry, “you don’t hate me? For being your clone?” All fears were squashed by the pained look on his face and tears in his eyes. 

“Oh, cub. No I don’t hate you, I promise. In fact...I love you, Daciana. So much it’s kind of scary,” he admitted with a smile, making more tears pool in Daci’s eyes as his words warmed her heart. “I don’t remember how I snapped out of it this last time...out of HYDRA’s grasp...but I remember learning I had a clone and vowing to destroy him. When I broke into that facility, I was expecting to find a full grown man I would have to kill. And instead...I found you. And it was like...a switch was flipped. I was in love from the moment we met, cub. I went from wanting to destroy to wanting to protect with every fiber of my being. And...I thought that included not telling you…” he trailed off and looked back down at his lap as Daci went over his words. She let several beats pass before she spoke again. 

“You’re an idiot,” she said quietly, blunt with her words as she felt the last of her anger leave her body. James’ head shot up in shock before he let out a soft chuckle. 

“Yeah, but we both knew that already,” he said with a fond smile, which Daci matched. Until a thought suddenly crossed her mind. 

“Did...did I ruin it? Can we still be together in the Tower?” she asked as panic began to set in. James held his hands up to stop her panic. 

“You didn’t ruin anything, cub, those men are still alive. And yes, we can stay together. There’s just...some rules we have to follow,” he reassured her quickly. 

“Like what?”

“Like...Fury wants me to consider joining the Avengers. But only if I meet with a mandated ‘handler’ for my…mental issues. It’s basically to keep the Soldier in check. And...you also can’t use your powers or strength in public,” he added as she considered the rules.

“So you meet with someone and I pretend to be normal and we can be together in the Tower?” she asked to clarify, not really having the energy to dive more into the rules. 

“You don’t use your powers and I see someone, yes,” he reiterated, deliberately restating her ‘normal’ comment, “then we can stay in the tower with the Avengers. Fury said he’d get us American citizenship and all the papers, like passports, birth certificates-”

“-what’s a birth certificate?” she interrupted. 

“It’s a document that says where and when you were born, your full name, who your parents are, how much you weighed-”

“-who...who will be my parents?” she asked, concern and fear and hope battling in her chest. James just smiled and cocked his head to the side. 

“Well your mother will probably be blank, or we can pick a random name. And...I think you’re kind of stuck with me for a father,” he finished with a bright smile. “We’ll have the same last name and everything.”

“Yeah?” she asked, still in shock and smiling with tears in her eyes, really wanting him to confirm. 

“Yeah,” he replied with a frown. “Cub, I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t want you. I promise you, Daciana, I do. I am damn lucky to have you as my kid.” By his last word she had started moving to jump into his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck and still crying from happiness. He quickly returned the hug, settling her more comfortably on his lap. 

They sat there for a few minutes as she finished crying while James hummed and rocked the two back and forth. 

She was so happy, but there was one last thing she wanted to ask. 

“James?” she asked, still clutching him tightly but making her voice clear. He hummed in response, rubbing her back and waiting for her to continue. “Do I have to call you dad?” James stiffened around her, pausing from his rocking but continuing the back rubbing. 

“Not if you don’t want to,” he eventually said quietly, sounding sad. She frowned at that, waiting another moment before continuing.

“So I can call you ‘Tati’?” she asked before burying her face in his neck, a little embarrassed for the request. James stiffened again, but this time he tightened his hold around her, making her smile into his neck. 

“I’d be honored to be your Tati,” he said, voice sounding hoarse as he added a kiss to her head. It felt like her chest was exploding with how happy she felt. This was everything she’d wanted, and she wanted to hold onto it as long as possible. Eventually they did pull away from each other, still sitting on his lap as he wiped the tears from her face. 

“So what happens next?” she asked, smiling at her dad. 

“I’ll deal with Fury tomorrow. Right now, I’m taking us home,” he said, dropping that last word like it was nothing. Like it wasn’t everything she’d wanted and more. The smile grew on her face as she hugged him again, thanking him through force as he chuckled and moved to stand up with her in his arms. 

He shifted her once he was standing, hoisting her up a little more so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She was suddenly tired, exhausted from the day’s events.

“Tati?” she asked, trying the word out as a yawn escaped her.

“Yeah?” he responded, a slight pause in his steps before continuing down the hall to the elevators. 

“Si eu te iubesc,” she said sleepily, feeling happy and safe and tired. So she curled herself further around her father before letting sleep take her. { _ I love you too _ }

When she woke up, it was from Ja-her father shifting her on their shared bed. 

“Last night in the guest room, tomorrow you and I will get beds on our own floor. I think you’ll like what I ordered for your room,” he said quietly before he turned out the light and joined her under the covers. She hummed happily in response, not able to verbalize anything as she sleepily cuddled up to his chest. 

Her Tati let out a chuckle, which made her so happy to hear, before wrapping his flesh arm around her.

“Buna noapte, Tati,” she said quietly, feeling sleep begin to take her once more. { _ Good night, Daddy _ }

“Buna noapte, fiica,” he said back. Those words the last thing she felt before drifting off into a peaceful slumber. { _ Good night, daughter _ }

* * *

When she woke the next morning, her father was still sleeping below her. She’d never to this day been able to do it, but she tried again to sneak off the bed without him waking up. 

It didn’t work, as he opened his eyes the second she touched his arm. With a pout, she finished extracting herself from his embrace to climb off the bed and head to the bathroom. He was up and fully dressed when she got out, smiling at her before silently taking her place in the bathroom. 

She took that opportunity to look around the guest room, thankful for it but excited to see what her actual room will look like. She’d never had her own room. Always on the run with James while she was kept in a group room with other toddlers when she was with HYDRA.

Thinking about that room made an unsettling thought sit in her stomach. The bathroom door opened and strong hands immediately grabbed her shoulders. 

“What’s wrong cub?” he asked her gently. Her bottom lip had begun to wobble as she looked up into his matching blue eyes. 

“That room I was kept in...with the other babies...did...were they your clones too?” she asked as dread sat in her stomach, even if they’d processed this together several times. The instance when HYDRA forced her to...to kill the other children in the room with her. The last one standing got to live. 

“No,” her Tati said, interrupting her thoughts. “The rest were born from two parents. You were the only clone created...HYDRA wanted to see if having the serum injected was stronger than it being genetically passed down…” he explained gently as he added a gentle massage to her shoulders. That made her feel a little better, not able to cope with thinking of murdering her...siblings. “Hey, I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said with a bright smile, releasing her to stand up and walk to the closet. 

She followed him with a curious expression. 

“Stark said he’d leave it in here,” Tati added quietly after opening the door, letting out a triumphant humph before turning to hand her...a stuffed animal. 

A wolf. 

Her eyes widened in shock, mouth hanging open as she tentatively reached out for it. The toy. 

“Is...is that for me?” she asked quietly, fighting the two sides of her; one saying this was for babies while the other wanted to hug the toy and never let it go. The toy was pushed into her hands, eyes unable to stop staring at the beautiful grey wolf. It was soft, so soft and squishy and she couldn’t resist pulling it into a hug. 

A chuckle snapped her out of it. She opened her eyes and looked up at James, pushing the toy away from her body and hanging her head in embarrassment. 

“Sorry, I’ve been acting like a baby lately,” she apologized, feeling worse when she heard him sigh heavily. He squatted down in front of her, using his flesh hand to bring her head up to look at him. 

“Daci, I know you had to grow up fast. You've been through and seen things no child should. And I know up here,” he said, using his index finger to tap against her forehead, “you feel a lot older than you are. But in here,” he continued, moving his finger to tap against her chest, “sweetheart, you are only five years old.”

“Five and one half,” she corrected, pouting a little at him. He chuckled warmly back at her.

“Yes, five and one half. I apologize. But that is still a child. And now...now we live in a safe place where you can finally  **be** a child. That means playing with toys cause it’s appropriate for your age, and getting cuddles and as many hugs as you want. I know I’m not the best with physical affection,” he added just as she scrunched her face up in confusion. “But I think we can work on it together. I don’t expect it all to happen at once, but if you catch yourself thinking that you’re being a baby for wanting some sort of love or happiness...just let it happen, okay? Can you do that for me?” he requested as she found herself slowly shifting the wolf back to her chest, nodding in response. 

“Yeah, I’ll try to be age appropriate,” she said as she hugged the toy closely, smiling when that got a chuckle out of her dad. “ _ Thanks, Tati _ ,” she finished with a whisper.

“Of course, my little wolf cub,” the tall brunette said with a smile, reaching his flesh hand out for her to hold. She frowned and reached instead for the metal one, squeezing his fingers and waiting for him to lead them. 

He shook his head fondly but squeezed back. 

“Let’s go get some breakfast,” her Tati said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

The Stark kids all but begged the man to let them come on the ‘floor tour’, adding pouting eyes and requests for them to come back to their floor. So yeah, Bucky caved. Steve, the bastard, only laughed and carried Morgan while Stark continued whining that his new arm was ready and wouldn’t it be more fun if everyone went to his lab?

Nope, instead the seven explored the floor while the Stark kids gawked at Daci’s room. Well, her other toys and books waiting for his kid. Daciana, on the other hand, stood frozen in the doorway. He gave her a gentle nudge, chuckling when she only took the one step in. So he pushed her again, this time keeping his hands on her back and steering her towards her bed. 

He wasn’t sure what to do with the colors, but after consulting Steve - in which Stark also added his loud opinion - he’d gone for a rainbow theme. He wanted her to have as much color in her life as possible. She had a little teal bookshelf, full of Dr. Suess and other authors Stark suggested. A comfy chair sat in the corner by the window, with a fluffy cloud pillow tucked on top. On the other side of her bed was a chest full of toys. And from Peter’s recommendation, she had glow in the dark stickers on her ceiling, a surprise for when she goes to sleep tonight.

He stood near the doorway, watching her with a warm smile as she inspected each aspect of her room with a bright smile. Steve and his husband walked up behind him, having left to make sure they had groceries in their new kitchen. Bucky couldn’t help turning to the pair, overcome with a feeling of gratefulness. 

“Thank you, Tony,” he said quietly, though he was sure he wasn’t heard over the various shouts of excitement from the children. Stark had a confused expression on his face before he entered the room, chuckling when he saw how well the room had turned out. 

“You are quite welcome, Barnes. She deserves it. You both do. So much that we could cut this tour short and head to my lab because-”

“-Tony, dear, that’s enough,” Steve interrupted the man, pushing him out of the way so he could also see the room. “Wow, this turned out awesome. Daci, what do you think?” All eyes turned towards the girl, who blushed from the attention but still nodded vigorously in response. 

“I love it,” she admitted with a darker blush, turning around to put her wolf on her new bed. 

“Harley, baby, remember these toys are Daci’s, right?” Steve asked as they noticed Harley trying to take a bouncy ball out of the room. Stark had picked up Morgan and settled her on the bed, while Peter read the titles aloud to Daci. 

Reminding him that now that things had calmed down, he can teach her written English, starting with the alphabet. He should start reading to her at night, similar to what his Ma used to do. A memory of his Ma came back to him, the first one in a long time, and he couldn’t help smiling at remembering her tell stories before he fell asleep. Hearing his new name snapped him out of it. 

“Tati?” Daci was asking, standing in front of him with a smile on her face. He returned the smile, nodding at her in response. “Can we go see your room?” she asked, getting a chorus of joys from the Stark children who were already herding towards the door. 

“Yeah, I guess so, though it’s not nearly as cool as yours,” he responded with a chuckle as he followed the kids. He gently shoved the tall blonde in passing, hating the somehow smug and proud look on his stupid face. 

“I didn’t say anything!” Steve whined, that stupid smile still in his face. 

“You had a face  _ dear _ ," his husband retorted with a chuckle, dancing with Morgan just out of the blonde’s reach when he attempted to poke his ribs. The two were sickeningly cute, thought Bucky refused to admit that out loud. Instead he did his best to ignore them as they explored the rest of the floor. 

It didn’t last very long, since a certain generous genius continued mentioning his lab aloud. 

“Okay, Stark you win. Please stop talking and we can head to your lab,” Bucky said, finally giving in to the child’s demands. He rolled his eyes when the shorter man shouted out in glee. 

“Let’s go monkeys!” Stark cried out, grabbing Harley and walking towards the elevator with everyone tagging along behind him. He walked beside Steve, frowning when the little girl tried to reach out to his shiny arm in the elevator. 

He didn’t say anything, just frowned at her and pulled his arm away. As they were walking out of the elevator, she whined and reached for Bucky again. 

“I think she wants her Uncle Bucky to hold her,” Steve teased with a chuckle, trying to hand him the baby as they finished their walk to the living room. 

“Your husband wants to show me something,” Buck said with a frown, stretching around the man to get away from the pair and closer to the lab. 

“Morgan can have all the cuddles she wants after he has his new arm,” Stark said in his defense, plopping Harley on the couch and motioning Bucky to follow. Before he did, he stole a glance at Daci and smiled at his girl, who gave him back a reassuring nod. 

It was a short walk to the lab, but Stark managed to break his rule about not talking the entire way. He went into nerdy science mode and rambled about the technology that came with the upgrade. Bucky zoned out, especially when he finally saw the arm. 

“Woah,” he said aloud as he reached his flesh hand out to touch it. It was beautiful. A darker shade that absorbed the light rather than reflect it. And as he watched Tony remove his old arm for his new one, he also felt the difference. “It’s...it’s lighter.”

“Well yeah, you asked for it,” Tony said with that usual snark. 

“I…” Bucky trailed off, clenching the fingers and looking up at the genius, who was practically dancing with excitement. “What?” 

“Shake my hand!” the genius exclaimed excitedly while thrusting his hand out. Bucky couldn’t help staring at him for a second before complying and immediately yanking his hand back in shock. 

When their hands touched, Bucky could...feel the touch. The warmth of Tony’s hands, the calloused fingers.

“What was that?”

“Sensory padding, compliments of my good friend, Dr. Cho. Do you like it?” Tony asked as he folded his arms over his chest triumphantly. 

“It’s amazing. Seriously, Tony, thank you,” Bucky said sincerely to the man, putting the metal hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly. “Let’s go back upstairs. I wanna show everyone else your genius design,” he said with a smile, frowning to see the man making a big deal about his statement. 

Tears. There were literal tears in his eyes. 

“Don’t make me regret this,” Buck said with an eye roll, walking past the genius to make his way back to the living room, rolling his eyes yet again when the shorter brunette shouted after him “tell Steve I’ll be up in a bit”. The loud sounds echoing towards him almost had him turning around to face the genius again. But curiosity won out, as he finished his walk and stood just outside the common room.

He watched as the Avengers chatted loudly amongst themselves, staying in the shadows and watching how they interacted with Daci. 

She was sitting on the ground next to the archer with Morgan in her lap. 

“So you just have to touch the device to manipulate it?” Bucky recognized the doctor as the one asking the question. 

“Yeah it’s how I hacked JARVIS when I first got here.”

“So that and super strength? What else can you do?” the archer asked. Bucky almost felt the need to intervene, but figured if they were going to stay with them - they might as well know. 

“My strength came from James - but with my abilities: I can hack electronics, imitate voices, move energy around, and...well,” her demeanor changed to a sadder tune, “...I can hurt people with my mind.” There was a pregnant pause before the doctor spoke up again. 

“Move energy around? Is that what happened when you stomped and broke the coffee table?” He saw Daci’s face turn bright red before she nodded shyly. 

“Yeah, James is helping me control it.”

“Wait! You can imitate voices? Thor, say something regal from your homelands!” the archer shouted in excitement.

“I am not sure what it is you would like me to say?” 

“I am not sure what it is you would like me to say?” Daci imitated before the room burst out in laughter. 

“Steve! Steve! Say something patriotic!” the archer called out with a smile as the other blonde just leveled him with a glare. Bucky could hear the genius leaving his lab and approaching him, so decided that was a good time to let his presence be known. 

“Alright, that’s enough. She’s not your dancing monkey,” Bucky grumbled to the room as he walked over to take the empty recliner. The room stiffened a little at the interruption before the other five year old suddenly jumped up. 

“Ooh ooh ah ah! I’m a dancing monkey!” Peter exclaimed before proceeding to move around like a dancing monkey. Which prompted the toddler to join in, which broke the tension in the room as everyone watched them with a laugh. His eyes found Daci’s, offering her a smile to let her know he wasn’t actually upset with her. 

She smiled back, which warmed his heart until he heard Stark join them. 

“Um, hello is no one going to comment on the terminator’s new arm??” 

“Tony, do not call him that,” Steve said sternly. 

“I don’t even know what that is,” Bucky retorted. 

“You don’t know who the terminator is?” the archer asked him incredulously, looking at least a little sheepish when Bucky glared back at him. The glare disappeared when Daci came towards him, eyes on his new arm with a curious expression. 

A smile broke across his face as she tentatively reached out to it. 

“You like it?” he asked her, flexing the fingers as she kept staring at it. 

“It’s beautiful,” she added quietly, finally touching the metal around the elbow. Which Bucky could feel. “Is it um…” she began to ask, face scrunched up in confusion as her gaze went down to his fingers. “Is it as strong as the other one?” she asked, turning to Tony for the answer. 

“You offend me, it’s  **stronger** than the other one,” Tony said with a smirk, walking over to sit next to Morgan on the floor. Buck’s brows furrowed in confusion, unsure what she was talking about when her hand moved to grip his palm. 

And something finally clicked for him, like the final jigsaw puzzle piece settling into place. 

Why she preferred to hold his metal hand. He always thought it was a sympathy thing, not because she was scared of her own strength to squeeze the flesh hand.

The warm feeling returned as he suddenly felt self conscious with all eyes on him. Not wanting to squash the feeling, he simply wrapped his arms around his kid and brought her up into his lap; allowing her to keep inspecting his arm while his vision was just filled with a mop of brown hair. 

After another second the chatter began picking up again, leaving the two to their private moment. Daci settled more comfortably in his lap, leaning her head to rest against his shoulder. 

It made him think back to the conversation he had with Fury. 

_ “You don’t have many options here, Barnes. Kids with abilities either end up in Xavier’s school or in some form of jail. You’ll need my help to keep you both under the radar while trying to live a semi-normal life. Which, I understand, is asking a lot living with Stark. But if you’ll eventually join the team, you may as well get to know the team.” _

_ “And if I say no?” he asked, appreciating the help but not entirely sure he even wants to be an Avenger.  _

_ “Well, then you take your little clone and go back on the run. But I think you want what’s best for the kid. And as obnoxious as Stark is, they’re all good people. And after what you two went through with HYDRA, I’d say you both deserve it." _

_ “Wow, didn’t take you for a softie. Doing all of this for two strangers with abilities.” _

_ “A certain Avenger also happened to speak up on your behalf. And I do not want to piss him off.”  _ Steve _ , Bucky thought with a smile.  _

_ “Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal,” he said, knowing deep down he’d do anything for that girl. _

His mind snapped back to the present when Daci shifted on his lap. He watched as she was leaning over the recliner before bringing the baby up into her arms...while on his lap. 

“Well well, seems like Morgan’s getting that cuddle with her Uncle Bucky after all!” Stark cried happily, now somehow on the end of the couch closest to the recliner, inches from the glaring brunette. 

Bucky couldn’t help but fidget when the two girls shifted on his lap, the younger climbing past the other to grab Bucky’s face. He made a noise of disapproval but held still and let the baby do her thing. 

“That is adorable,” he definitely heard the archer say, unable to see anyone with his eyes on the ceiling. Morgan continued patting his face, babbling and making Daci laugh. 

“Okay,” Bucky said as he used his flesh arm to move the baby away from his face because he was done with this game. 

“Aw, no Buckeroo, you two were looking real cute together,” Stark said with a pout, actually batting his eyelashes at the man. Bucky quirked a brow back at him, stealing a glance at Steve who glaring at his husband before turning back to glare at the shorter brunette. 

“Take your baby back,” Bucky grumbled as he gently lifted the baby to hand to the man, ignoring her whines and forcing the man to take his child. He ignored the pout from both the baby and the ten month old in favor of snuggling his kid. 

Both because he had the freedom to do so and now had the means as well. 

The conversation picked up again as he peered around to see how Daci was doing. She was frowning a little at his new arm, which got him nudging her in question. As the others began discussing what they should do today, she silently reached over and squeezed his wrist twice.

He took her word and sat back, wondering if he’d ever get used to the noise. 

* * *

He was socially exhausted, so that evening he spent with only Daci on their own floor. She seemed to agree, excitedly nodding her head when he suggested it. Now she was sitting on a bar stool in their kitchen, helping him make lasagna. 

He remembered making it with his Ma and he was happy to pass this to his daughter. Still a strange concept, even if he’d thought of her as one of his own for a long time now. She’d already done so much for him and his mental health, he just hoped he was doing right by her. 

Daci reaching for her wolf pulled him out of his thoughts, a smile forming on his face at seeing her actually be a child. 

“I’m glad you like the wolf,” Bucky said as he put the lasagna in the oven. 

“I  **love** this wolf,” Daci corrected him, a serious expression on her face that made his smile grow that much bigger. 

“Good, that makes me happy,” he said easily, turning back to her to start cleaning up. 

“I’m glad you’re happy,” she replied, catching him off guard as he dropped the washcloth and looked at her. 

“I...am happy,” he said quietly, not fully feeling the words even as he said it. Which she was obviously catching up on…

“Good,” she said simply, interrupting the beginning of his spiraling thoughts. His attention was drawn to her playing with the toy again, which helped him redirect his mind back to the present moment. 

“Are you going to name him?” he asked, picking the cloth up again to continue cleaning. She was silent for a moment which got him to look at her again, frowning when he realized she was glaring at him. 

“Wolf is a  **she** ,” she said in offense, which made him laugh in spite of everything. Daci had that effect on him. 

“Sorry, so is ‘wolf’ her name?” he asked before turning to wash his hands. 

“I guess so, I didn’t think she had to have one,” Daci said with a confused face, following him out of their kitchen and into the living room while they waited for the food to cook. 

“She doesn’t, I just heard Harley and Peter named theirs. She can just be wolf,” he affirmed as they sat on the couch next to each other. She appeared to be in agreement, nodding once before they settled into a comfortable silence, watching television until dinner. She was a little quiet throughout the meal as well, but then he noticed her eyes begin to droop. She must’ve been exhausted from being so social all day. 

So he put her to bed early, taking care to tuck her in and make sure she was holding her wolf. 

“Buna noapte, Tati,” she said sleepily, cozying up under her comforter. His heart clenched for love for this kid. { _ Good night, Daddy _ }

“Buna noapte, fiica,” he said before leaning down to kiss her forehead, tucking some hair behind her ear and turning the light off on his way out. He shut the door carefully, considering what to do with his time before he eventually went to sleep. Even though the day had been exhausting socially, he still had a lot of energy. { _ Good night, daughter _ }

He started with reorganizing the kitchen to how he wanted and opening several boxes he hadn’t got to yet. By the time he was done, he realized that even though it was late, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he just went to bed. 

Working out sounded like the next best option, even though it was close to two am. But, knowing Daci could ask JARVIS where he was if she woke up, he changed into some workout clothes before making his way to the elevator to the gym floor. Plus, it meant he was getting better about trusting leaving Daci alone.

It turns out, he wasn’t the only one that had considered using the gym at this time. 

Just as he walked in, his eyes found the archer from before, doing a handstand from suspended rings. The sound of the door closing must’ve startled the blonde, cause he looked at Bucky and lost his balance, falling onto the mats below. 

He ran over to where he landed, checking the man over for injuries. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he grumbled, frowning at the pink on the archer’s cheeks. He was already sucking at being a teammate.

“What? No you didn’t scare me. No, it’s fine, I was just…” the blonde stumbled out, waving a hand in front of him instead of finishing his sentence. 

“Well, still, sorry,” Bucky muttered and offered his flesh hand, which the archer took after a second. 

“No, totally. Totally fine,” the blonde said with another wave of his hand. “What uh, whatcha doin here? Come here to work out?” He almost seemed nervous, which did not sit well in Bucky’s stomach. 

“Yeah, but I can leave and come back if-”

“-no! No. I was uh...just going to suggest...we spar.” Bucky quirked a brow, wondering what he was playing at. 

“Spar? With  _ me _ ?” he asked skeptically, not meaning to offend but realizing he had as the blonde huffed in anger. 

“Yeah, hot shot, with you. Unless you’re too chicken shit?” And oh, Bucky was never one to turn down a challenge. Especially from someone so incredibly cocky. 

“No, I’m scared of the redhead killing me for kicking your ass,” Bucky snarked back, following the blonde to the designated mats before noticing the other man was barefoot and stopped to kick off his shoes. 

“Yeah, well, if you want to back out now,” Clint teased with open arms, “I understand. I mean, I’ve kicked her ass once or...once.” Bucky couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, which the blonde used as an opportunity to lunge at him. But Bucky has seen it coming and dodged out of the way, countering it with a swipe to the blonde’s legs. 

In one quick move, he was on top of the man he had successfully pinned down, smirking at the confused looking blonde. 

“That...I wasn’t ready,” the archer said with a pout, which got Bucky to cock his head to the side. 

“You started it,” the brunette argued, rolling off of the blonde to stand up again. 

“Well, we’ll just see about round two,” the shorter man muttered before standing up to face Bucky again. 

He ended up winning round two as well. And three and four. But Clint - he finally remembered his name - won the fifth and sixth. They ended up sparring for over an hour, coming out to winning about average, though Bucky technically won with a few more pins. 

“Thanks, Barton. That was, that was actually fun,” he said sincerely, offering the other man a smile. “I needed to get out of my head,” he confessed, surprising both of them with his honesty. 

“Well, if you ever need someone to beat your ass in the middle of the night, let me know,” Clint said, even though he was sporting a black eye after Bucky got him with his metal hand. Bucky laughed anyway, choosing to not point out the obvious. 

He opened his mouth to change the subject when the AI interrupted them. 

_ "Sergeant Barnes, Daciana had a nightmare and is requesting your presence,"  _ the British voice summoned from the gym ceiling. 

“Tell her I’ll be right there,” Bucky called before turning to the blonde. “See you later, Barton.”

“See ya, Barnes,” Clint called out as Bucky made his way to the elevators. The brunette couldn’t help smiling as he rode the elevator back to his floor. He could see Clint becoming an ally. 

His mood immediately turned sour when he got to his floor, as he could hear the sound of Daci crying. That got him running, frowning at whatever it was that plagued her thoughts. He was careful with his strength opening her door, not wanting to scare her on top of whatever already had. 

She was sitting up in her bed, blanket wrapped around her tiny body with the lamp turned on. His heart broke at the sight. 

“Hey little cub,” he cooed softly as he approached her, sitting on the bed and pulling the sheets back to see her tear stained face. “What’s wrong?”

“I...I k-killed them,” she hiccuped out before burying her face back into the blanket. He shifted the two so he could pull her onto his lap, settling back against her headrest and pulling the blanket up against them. 

“Who, cub?” he asked before adding a kiss to her hair and beginning to rock the two gently. 

“P-Peter, Harley and M-M-Morgan!” she exclaimed before bursting into more tears. “They were in the room with me and...and they made me…”

“Shh,” Bucky hushed her, tightening his arms around her. “Daci that’s not real, it didn’t happen. They’re all upstairs asleep, I promise.” Aside from carrying her upstairs and showing the sleeping kids, he wasn’t sure how else to reassure her what she saw wasn’t real. 

Because there was an aspect of it that was. 

HYDRA had forced her to kill the other kids in the room they were kept, the non-clones that were also injected with mutant and super soldier serums. After manipulating the first five years of her life, Daci was promised the last standing got to live and that was unfortunately how he found her almost ten months ago. Trembling, covered in blood and looking so lost it killed Bucky’s anger instantly. 

It’s taken a long time of comfort and reassurance to even get her to not feel guilty about what she’s been forced to do, and he was really hoping staying in a safe place would help reaffirm that idea. 

Apparently not. 

“But...but Tati I saw-”

“-that was a bad dream, Daciana. I can take you upstairs if that would help…”

_ "Apologies for the interruption, sir. But if you would like I can project the Stark children’s rooms on Young Miss Daciana’s ceiling for reassurance." _

They both startled a little at the voice, momentarily forgetting about the AI in the tower they were now living in. 

“Please, JARVIS,” Daci’s voice, soft and broken, answered the AI. 

Bucky leaned back and cuddled his girl closer as the ceiling played three separate screens, each with a different slumbering child. 

“See? All safe and sound,” he said quietly, adding another kiss to the top of her head. He suddenly noticed she wasn’t cuddling her wolf, looking around before finding her under the blankets and handing her to his daughter. “Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?”

“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head and sitting up a little away from him even though she was cuddling the wolf close. “I should be able to sleep in my own bed, I’m not a baby.” He rolled his eyes at her words, pulling her closer despite her distance. 

“We’ve talked about this, cub. I know you feel older but you’re only five years old. It’s normal for anyone of any age to want comfort after a nightmare, especially when that someone is in their own room for the first night ever.”

“I survived two weeks without you before finding people to save you, I should be able to go one night-” Bucky couldn’t take anymore, deciding to grab both her and her wolf mid-sentence and walk them all to his room. “Hey!” Daci squeaked, but didn’t fight to get out of his embrace. 

“No one is doubting your survival instincts or abilities. But your brain and body are still young and it’s okay to seek comfort. I will happily remind you of this until you’re tired of hearing about it,” he argued as he went into his room, tucking her into bed with him pulling her against his chest. 

“...but…” Daci began, sounding tired and like she wanted to stay but a small part of her still wanted to fight against it. 

“You know, when I was little and had a nightmare, I would go to my parent’s room,” he admitted quietly, having few memories but at least one or two of climbing into bed with his parents around her age. 

“You did? You remember?” she asked just as quietly. She knew he had been struggling with his memory, but didn’t know she was somehow helping him remember. 

“Yup and I think I was older than you,” he added, not entirely sure if that was true or not. 

_ "Yeah?" _ she whispered, breaking his heart a little as he rubbed her back in comfort. 

“Yeah,” he said before kissing her head. They sat in silence for a moment, Bucky trying to determine if she had fallen asleep yet or not. 

_ "Te iubesc, Tati," _ she whispered before burying her face in his chest. { _ I love you, Daddy _ }

_ "Si eu te iubesc, fiica," _ he whispered back. “ _ Buna noapte. _ ” { _ I love you too, daughter. Good night _ }

_ "Buna noapte, Tati."  _ And with those lovely words, he finally found himself able to fall asleep. { _ Good night, Daddy _ }


	6. Chapter 6

“Do you really have to go?” she asked him with a frown. They’ve been living at the tower for one week and now her dad had to go meet a stranger and talk about his feelings. 

“You know I do, cub,” Tati said with a frown, pulling his hair up into a bun as she watched him get ready in his bedroom. “I’ll only be a few hours and then when I come back we’ll head to the gym, okay?” 

“Okay,” she agreed with a sigh, still not fond of the idea of not being his backup. 

“I know the Starks are loud, but you can always excuse yourself if you need a minute. Now come on, I hear Stevie’s making you some special breakfast.” She left wolf on his bed, not bringing her back up after the Morgan applesauce incident. When they got in the elevator, she grabbed his hand, trying not to seem too needy on the one-floor ride to the Starks floor. 

“It’ll be alright, cub. I won't be gone long, okay?” he reassured, squeezing her hand when the door opened before walking the two to the sounds of the Starks - minus Steve - in the living room. “Thanks again, man.”

“No problemo, Buckaroo,” Tony sang, currently tickling Harley on his lap and making the boy shriek with laughter. Daci smiled at the sight, and at the nickname Tony gave her father, who looked angry at the name. 

“Right, well I’ll be back in a few hours,” James said to the room before turning to Daci with a smile. “Be good, okay?” he asked her before leaning down to kiss the top of her head. 

“Bye, Tati,” she said as he walked to the elevators before turning to the family. 

“Hey Daci, Steve’s in the kitchen if you wanna go help him,” Tony offered with a smile as he began tickling Morgan. Daci returned the smile before heading to the kitchen to greet Steve. 

“Hi Steve,” Daci said as she walked around him to see what he was making. She stood on her tippy toes but she was still too short to see what was on the stove. 

“Hey there Daci, want me to show you what I’m making?” the tall blonde offered, which Daci took with a nod and raised arms. He gently lifted her up by her armpits before settling her on his hip. She had gotten better with physical touch and had begun to trust the Avengers, starting with Steve and Tony. 

“Are those crepes?” she asked in excitement as she couldn’t help bouncing a little in his arms. 

“Yup, strawberry is your favorite, right?” he asked before showing her the packages on the counter. 

“Yes! Thank you Steve,” she said sincerely before giving the man a hug. He returned it before placing her on the counter to watch. 

“You are very welcome sweetheart,” Steve said with a bright smile before turning to flip the crepe. “After breakfast we’re going to finger paint. Have you done that before?” 

“No, what is that?” she asked curiously as she ate a little strawberry. 

“It’s just painting with your fingers. I got ingredients to make it edible so it’ll be safe when Harley and Morgan and probably Tony put their fingers in their mouths.” She couldn’t help smiling at the image.

“What are we painting?”

“You can paint whatever you want on the canvases I ordered, it’ll be fun, I promise. I also ordered little smocks so you won’t have to shower after,” Steve added before turning the stove off and helping her down off the counter. 

She doesn’t mention that she could backflip off the counter, just lets him help her. 

“What do you think? Should we just bring these into the living room to eat?” 

“You’d let us eat in the living room?” she asked in surprise. On her floor, she and her dad ate anywhere but whenever she was on this floor, she could only eat at the table or in the kitchen.

“Sure! Do you mind helping me carry a plate?” She nodded yes and walked with him to the living room, trying to ignore the sounds of Harley and Peter screaming with laughter as they chased each other around the coffee table. She was still getting used to the noise and tried to focus on the delicious crepes instead of the screaming children. 

“Daci! Daci did you hear we’re going to paint today?” Peter asked, coming to a halt in front of the table with crepes and eating one. 

“Yes your Papa told me,” she answered around a bite. 

“Did Steve tell you we got smocks? They’ll keep you clean,” Tony said with a smile, walking around to sit next to her and eat some of the crepes. 

“Yes, I also told her the paint is edible but I think you’re the only one excited about that,” Steve said with a smirk as he grabbed Morgan to sit on his lap. 

“Save whatever paint we have leftover and I’ll show you just how _excited_ I am,” Tony said with a weird smile. 

“Tony,” Steve growled, confusing Daci further. 

“Can we go now?” Peter asked, wiping his mouth after finishing his second crepe.

“Let’s finish eating first, bud,” Tony said as he helped Harley eat. They settled into silence that only lasted a few minutes before Peter suggested it again, making Daci wonder if this family was capable of actual silence. Since Morgan was technically babbling the whole time.

“How about we head to the art room and let Daci and Papa finish eating, okay?” Tony asked, making Daci shoot him a smile in relief.

Now if only she could mentally prepare for messy ‘art’ with the Starks. 

* * *

She was able to survive it, even if she ended up having to wash her arms and legs when Morgan grabbed her calf. Tony and Steve both liked her canvas, even if it was just blue and purple stripes. Harley was mostly clean but Morgan ended up getting completely covered in paint and Daci watched as Steve and Tony argued over who’d give her a bath. 

They ended up playing some hand game called ‘rock, paper, scissors’ which Tony apparently lost, watching Tony and Morgan head towards the bathroom while Steve, Harley and Peter headed back to the living room.

Peter and Harley got loud again, so she excused herself to give herself a minute of quiet. 

As she was walking, she followed the sounds of singing, recognizing Italian as the language as she made her way to the bathroom. 

Tony was sitting on the floor by the tub while Morgan was splashing around with some white foam. 

“Hey Daci,” Tony said with a smile when he noticed her in the doorway, beckoning her inside. 

“Hey,” she replied quietly, walking over to watch. 

“Daci!” Morgan suddenly shouted, startling the other two. 

“Did...did you just say her name?” Tony asked the baby with a scowl, confusing the girl. “You couldn’t have said Daddy?! That is so close to Daci!”

“Daci!” Morgan said again, putting a smile on Daci’s face even if Tony looked angry. 

“JARVIS, inform my husband of what just happened!” Tony called to the ceiling. 

_“The Captain replied ‘at least it wasn’t a curse word’, Sir.”_

“Are you okay, Tony?” Daci asked in confusion, shifting closer to sit next to him on the bathroom floor. 

“Yeah, I’m just being silly. Your name was her first word, I’m just jealous.” Daci stared at him in confusion with a quirked brow.

“Her first word? My...just now?” she asked as things clicked into place. Tony nodded and the girl felt guilty about joining them. “I’m sorry, Tony, I can go,” she said as she began to stand up to leave. But Tony held his hand out and stopped her. 

“No, no, I’m just teasing, Daci. I promise I’m not upset, sweetheart. Like Steve said, I’m just happy it wasn’t a curse word, considering who her Dad is. Plus it just means Morgan likes you a whole lot,” Tony added and gestured to the laughing baby. Daci’s gaze turned to the baby girl which always put a smile on her face. 

“Well, then I’m glad. I like her too,” she said sincerely as she watched Morgan push the white stuff around. “She sure likes baths,” she added with a frown. 

“Well yeah, she’s in one of my famous baths. With rubber duckies and lots of bubbles,” Tony said in a sing-song voice. 

“Is that what this white stuff is?” Daci asked as she reached out to touch it. 

“Yup. Morgan’s too young for bath salts and bath bombs, but you should see one of my baths one of these days,” Tony said with wiggly eyebrows. “I can make it look like a rainbow.” Daci stared at him for a second before a smile broke across her face. 

They sat in silence for a moment, with only the sounds of quiet babbling and small splashing, until the sadness that she could never experience this settled in. She slumped down a little, wiping the bubbles off her hand with a nearby towel.

“Hey, what’s wrong kiddo?” Tony asked kindly, looking her in the eyes with concern. She looked back at the bath and sat in silence a little longer before Tony spoke again. “You know, after Afghanistan I wasn’t able to let water touch my face.” She looked back at him after that, having forgotten about Afghanistan in his file. 

He had experienced similar torture. 

“You...but you take baths now?” she asked in confirmation as he smiled back at her and nodded. 

“Yeah, took me a while. Now I love them...Daci if you ever want to talk about what happened, I want you to know you can talk to me, okay? You know...you know I went through similar...circumstances.” Daci smiled at the suggestion, feeling unwanted tears begin to form in her eyes from the amount of trust and security she felt at the moment. 

“Thank you,” she said quietly, unable to meet his eye and turned and smiled at Morgan. “Maybe...maybe one day I can take one of your baths.” 

“Y-yeah, I would be happy to make you son,” Tony said with a hoarse voice, which Daci quickly realized was because the man was as tearful as she was. She smiled back brighter at him, remembering what her Tati had said about taking advantage of happy moments.

“Can...can I hug you?” she asked quietly, still feeling nervous even though they openly invited hugs. She startled for a moment when he only looked up at the ceiling before realizing he was blinking back tears. Arms were suddenly reaching out and pulling her into a hug as she couldn’t help but giggle in happiness as she returned it. 

“Of course you can, sweet girl. I’m so proud of you for how far you’ve come.” Those words only added more salty tears to stain her cheeks. 

_“Thanks Tony,”_ she whispered in gratitude. 

“Tony!” Morgan interrupted them with a shout, causing Tony to freeze around her. A laugh escaped her chest, pulling away from the man and laughing harder at the betrayed expression on his face. 

“Wounded! I’ve been wounded!” Tony cried out before collapsing to the floor, clearing pretending to be in real pain. It got another laugh from Daci as Morgan screeched in giggles from her father’s antics. “JARVIS, time of death. Tell my husband I loved him. And make sure Morgan is ripped out of my will,” Tony rasped out as he reached a hand out towards the ceiling. 

A knock on the door interrupted them. 

“Um...I just came to check on you guys...Tony, honey, why are you lying on the floor?” Steve asked, leaning against the doorway. 

“I’m dead, Steven. Your daughter killed me. It was a tragic tale and one that involves me writing her out of my will.” 

“Morgan said her second word. It was Tony,” Daci informed the blonde who only laughed at the explanation. 

“Aw, Morgan are you teasing your Daddy?” Steve asked with hands on his hips as he took a few more steps in until he was standing over Tony. Morgan babbled in response. 

“I’m dead, Steve. I hope you know how much I loved you. Despite all of your many, many flaws-hey!” Tony squeaked out as Steve squatted down to tickle the man, who shrieked with laughter as he struggled to sit up. Which made Daci and Morgan quickly join in. “Okay! I give STOP IT!”

“Alright Morgan my love are you ready to get out of the bath? Papa will read you a story,” Steve finished in his own sing-song voice, which got the baby to stand up immediately, bubbles sliding down her naked body as Daci couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Oh you traitorous snake!” Tony cried in outrage as Steve helped the baby rinse off. “Daci do you want to help me get a snack ready and leave these traitors to clean up?” Daci looked back and forth between the men before speaking quietly. 

“I was hoping to hear the story.” The two men looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation that Daci didn’t understand. 

“How about you and Tony get the snacks ready and Morgan and I will go pick out the book, and we’ll all meet in the living room?” Steve suggested with a smile as Daci felt her slight fear dissipate. 

“Okay!” she said excitedly, quickly getting up to follow Tony to the kitchen, who laughed before leading the way. “What will the snack be?”

“Hmm...excellent question. I was thinking goldfish crackers, and cookies? What are your thoughts?”

“Sounds good!” she agreed happily, helping him carry the food and napkins to the living room. There was a pile of books on the coffee table, which made the smile on Daci’s face grow. “That’s more than one book.”

“Yeah,” Steve answered with a chuckle, snuggled on the couch with his kids. “Peter might have argued for more books in your favor.” 

“Oh,” Daci said with a small smile as she eyed where to sit. “Thank you Peter.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re uh...welcome,” Peter said with a weird look on his face. Tony scoffed from behind her before he gently ushered her to sit next to Steve as he passed out the snack bowls to the others. 

“Don’t thank him, Daci. He just loves his Papa’s stories cause I’m surrounded by traitors,” Tony said to his kids as he grabbed Morgan from Peter before sitting on the other side of Daci with the baby in his lap. 

“Papa does the voices, you don’t do the voices, Daddy,” Peter said, snuggling closer into Steve’s other side as the blonde shifted the toddler on his lap. 

“Like I said, traitors. Now, let me grab a blanket before you monsters start getting crumbs everywhere,” Tony said as Daci passed out the napkins. She snuggled up with the others and helped spread the blanket out, feeling warm and fuzzy and trying to appreciate the moment. 

She ended up leaning against Steve’s side as he read, mesmerized at his story-telling abilities and losing herself in the various books he went through. Her Tati read to her, but it wasn’t like this. She’d occasionally look up at Steve’s face, watching it contort to match the characters personalities and tried to hold back a laugh. Overall, it was lovely. 

Her Tati had been showing her the English Alphabet, and she suddenly had the urge to learn how to write on top of learning how to read. 

Steve closed the last book as Daci began to shift next to him, looking around and realizing Peter, Harley and Morgan were all asleep. She stretched her arms out as the two men began to shift around her. 

“I’ll come back for Pete if you wanna go put Morgan down,” Steve said quietly to Tony. 

“Sounds good, you okay here with Daci? I’ve got a few SI things I promised Pepper I’d do. Figured I’d take care of it while they nap,” Tony said just as quietly as he stood up and shifted Morgan in his arms. 

“Of course, JARVIS will let you know when the party starts back up again,” Steve replied before the two men leaned towards each other and kissed. Daci watched them for a moment, sitting quietly while Steve returned, left with Peter and returned again. “So, Daci what do you want to do now?”

“I wanted your help with something, if you’re not busy…” she said as he stopped cleaning the bowls to look at her. 

“I was just taking these to the kitchen, I’m not busy. What do you need help with sweetheart?” Steve asked as he gathered the rest of the dishes to take to the kitchen. 

“Well,” she began as she followed him to the kitchen. “I want to practice writing my name. I thought...maybe you could teach me?” The question startled the man a little, who nearly dropped the bowls before placing them in the sink. 

“Yeah, of course I can help with that! That’ll be a sweet surprise for your Tati,” Steve said with a big grin as he rummaged through a drawer before bringing out a stack of paper and a box of crayons. He directed her back to the living room where they sat next to each other on the couch as the blonde pulled the coffee table closer to them. 

She watched with a quirked brow as Steve drew lines along the paper, some solid and some dotted, before carefully writing a word she assumed was her name. 

“There, D-a-c-i-a-n-a, that’s how you spell your name, Daciana,” Steve said with a bright smile that Daci found herself easily matching. He pulled the crayons out and let her pick a color, which she chose purple, before grabbing another page to start drawing lines on. 

They were practicing in silence for a few minutes when the ceiling robot suddenly spoke up. 

_“Captain, Agent Romanoff wanted to inform you that she and Agent Barton are on their way to your floor, it appears Agent Barton is injured.”_

“Great,” Steve said under his breath as they heard the ding of the elevator followed by the two agents arguing over one another. 

“Ow, OW Nat be careful!” Clint whined as he hobbled into the living room, with Nat supporting his weight. 

“You were the one who fell from the gym ceiling, you dumb fu-”

“-Children are present!” Steve interrupted her in a high pitched voice as the redhead unceremoniously shoved the archer on the couch next to Daci. 

“Nat!” the man whined again as the redhead put a pillow on the coffee table before yanking one of his legs to prop up on said pillow. His left foot was wrapped in a brace of some kind as it sat elevated. 

“Clint why were you on the gym ceiling?” Steve asked as he pushed some of the papers out of the way so Daci could continue practicing. 

“I see better from a distance,” the man pouted, going so far as to cross his arms over his chest and make Daci stifle a giggle. 

“Don’t start that shit again!”

“Nat! Five year old right next to you.”

“Fine, sorry Daciana. You two can deal with the whiny baby so I can go back to hanging with Bruce _without interruption_ ,” the redhead said with a glare before turning on her heel and heading towards the elevator. 

“Are you okay, Clint?” Daci asked as the man shifted on the couch next to her. 

“It’s not broken, just sprained. My pride’s hurt worse than my ankle,” the blonde grumbled as he stretched to grab one of the pieces of paper. “What are you guys doing?”

“Daci’s learning how to write her name,” Steve replied with a smile as he drew a few more lines on a few more pages. 

“Oh wow that’s super cool! And excellent color choice, my friend. Give me a page, I wanna draw big meanie Nat with horns and a long tail,” Clint said with a sneer as Daci didn’t hold back the giggle that escaped her.

It was about another hour until her father returned, and in that time the three kids woke up from their naps and - along with Tony - joined them in coloring in the living room. When she heard the elevator ding, she internally squealed before she grabbed her best piece of paper and ran to greet him.

“Tati! Look!” she cried with joy as his face lit up when he saw the paper. 

“Oh my god, Daci...did...did you write your name?” he asked quietly with a weird expression. Her excitement fumbled as she nodded in response. A smile quickly broke across her face, though, when he yanked her up into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, cub,” he said as she returned the embrace, before he carried the two over to sit on the couch next to Clint.

“We finger-painted earlier too, I have her canvas for you to take later. She’s got a real eye for color,” Steve said with a proud smile on the other side of Clint. “Which is weird...since she supposedly shares a hundred percent of your DNA…” Her Tati unwound one of his arms, reaching over one blonde to jab at the other blonde, which made everyone laugh around them. 

He brought his arm back to wrap around her and held the paper up so they both could see. 

“You should do Grace next, cub.” The statement got Daci unwinding from his hug to sit back on his lap and look at him. 

“Why?”

“Grace is your middle name,” he said as he placed the paper on the table in front of them. 

“My middle name?” she asked in confusion. 

“Yeah, like my name is James Buchanan Barnes, your full name is Daciana Grace Barnes. At least, that’s what I had put on your birth certificate.”

“Oh...where’d you get Grace from?” she asked, rolling her name around in her head. 

“It was his mom’s name,” Steve answered for him as a warm feeling filled Daci’s heart. 

“Oh,” Daci said with a blush before turning to Steve curiously. “Steve do you have a middle name?”

“Grant,” he answered her with a smile as her face quirked in confusion. 

“Grant?” she asked, feeling bad when Tony started laughing from the ground. “Tony what’s your middle name?”

“Edward,” the brunette said proudly, which did not change the frown on her face. 

“That’s not much better,” she said as she felt her father poke her in the ribs while the two blondes next to her laughed. 

“Be nice,” the older brunette said with a stern expression as Daci sheepishly nodded back at him. 

“Sorry," she said to Tony before turning to the boy. "Peter? What about you? What’s your middle name?”

“Benjamin,” he replied as a smile spread across the girl’s face. 

“I like that name!” she said as she turned to the toddler and baby sitting with Tony. “What about Harley and Morgan? What are their middle names?”

“Well, Harley’s middle name is Patrick and Morgan’s is Elisabeth,” Steve answered with a smile as Daci mulled those names over in her head. 

“Those are good names too,” she said with a smile. 

“You know, my middle name is Francis,” Clint said next to her as she heard the man behind her let out a puff of laughter. With a frown, she turned around to face him. 

“Be nice,” she said with her own stern expression, which quickly broke when the archer bellowed in laughter. 

“Yeah, Barnes. Be nice,” Clint sneered at the man who simply glared back at him. 

“Sorry,” her Tati muttered as he pulled Daci back into his embrace. She snuggled closer into him with a smile before peering towards the archer. 

“I think Francis is my favorite.”

“I named you after my mother and you side with the klutz?” the older brunette asked with a mock glare as Daci only smiled back at her father, aware he wasn’t actually upset. 

“How do you know I was being klutzy? Maybe I was saving a kitten from a tree?” Clint asked in offense as Daci and Steve both let out a laugh. 

“Aren’t you the same man that fell flat on his face from the rings last week?” 

“Aren’t you the...shut up,” the archer said with a pout and shifted on the couch to scoot away from the two, wincing when his ankle shifted as well. 

“Dat’s bad Unca Cint! We don’t say shut up,” Harley suddenly spoke up, pointing an accusatory finger at the archer. 

“Yeah Barton, don’t tell people to shut up,” her father muttered back, tightening his arms around Daci who couldn’t help giggling again. 

An alarm sounded that startled the group, scaring Morgan a little who began crying at the sound. 

“JARVIS what’s going on?” Tony asked as he stood up with Morgan and rocked her back and forth. 

_“There appear to be several Doombots in downtown Manhattan, Sir,”_ the AI replied as Steve stood up as well. 

“That means both of us, especially if we’re down Hawkeye,” Steve said to Tony who nodded back at him before both men turned to the two men on the couch. 

“Oh, hell no,” her Tati said and began shifting the two off the couch. 

“Bucky, please,” Steve said as Tony kissed Morgan before handing the much calmer baby to Clint. “Clint’s injured and this is too last minute to call anyone.” Daci just stayed in his arms, waiting for him to decide and smiling when he leaned back against the couch with a groan. 

“Alright munchkins, be good for Uncle Clint and Uncle Bucky,” Tony said as he went to his boys to give them kisses as well. 

“But Daddy,” Peter whined, looking close to tears as his parents froze for a moment. Daci felt bad for him, knowing the dread of being separated from your parent.

“Hey Pete, why don’t we all go down to the gym and play until your dads get back?” she suggested with a smile, knowing Tony had sanctioned off a small corner for a jungle gym and swing set. 

“That’s a great idea, Daci! And Petey, we’ll have JARVIS let you guys know when we’re heading home, okay? Hopefully it’ll just be a few hours.” Steve said with a smile as he walked over to hug the boy. “Buck? Clint? You guys don’t mind right? Maybe fix them a snack and hope we make it back before dinner?” Steve said as he walked around to kiss his three kids. 

“I can’t carry Barton and Morgan at the same time,” her Tati argued, even if she knew he was teasing. 

“You’re a super soldier,” Clint argued back. 

“I take it back, I’ll just drag him by his foot. Keep it elevated and all that. You boys have fun,” her Tati deadpanned, making Daci laugh at the image of her father dragging Clint across the floor. She watched Tony and Steve leave and frowned when the energy in the room sank. 

“Instead of playing in the gym...maybe we can make some cookies?” Peter suggested after a moment of silence, which instantly got his two younger siblings to cheer in agreement. 

“Tookies!” Harley exclaimed with his tiny fists thrown in the air before dancing in a circle. 

“Um, you’ll have to ask Uncle Bucky…” Clint said as he looked skeptically at the other man, who only squinted back at the blonde. 

“Please Uncle Bucky? Pleeeeeeeeease?” Peter asked. 

“Peas Yuncle Bucky?”

“Buh buh!” Morgan added as Daci felt a smile creep on her face, even though her father was looking more and more unhappy as the kids began chanting. Daci moved off his lap to sit next to Clint and could only laugh when her Tati looked at her with betrayal. 

“Fine,” he muttered after a moment, standing up with a frown as the Stark kids cheered. “Daci you’re in charge of Clint and Morgan while I’m gone,” he added as Daci couldn’t help but smile at the statement. 

“Hey,” Clint said in offense while Harley and Peter cheered and followed the brunette into the kitchen, leaving the blonde with the two girls on the couch. “Well, Daci you’re in charge, what should we do?” he asked as Daci watched Morgan shift around to pat the man’s face. 

“I kind of like watching Morgan pat your face,” she said with a smile, which made Clint frown, which made Morgan laugh with delight, which made the smile on Daci’s face that much bigger. 

“Sure this is a fun game,” Clint said before he pretended to eat Morgan’s fingers, getting a giggle from both girls. She watched with a smile as Clint tickled the baby further, getting more laughs out of Morgan.

“Woah, Clint, she needs to breathe,” Daci said with a smile as the blonde stopped his attack. Clint reached on the ground for one of her toys, handing Morgan the thing so she could be distracted from slapping his face. 

“So, has your old man taught you any new tricks?” Clint asked.

“Old man?” Daci asked in confusion.

“James, your father. ‘Old man’ is another way to say ‘dad’.”

“Oh, well no. The only thing I haven’t shown you was something HYDRA taught me…”

“Oh! Wait, is it dangerous?” Clint asked in equal excitement and curiosity, sitting up a little more in his seat while keeping his injured foot on the table. 

“Um, no…” Daci said, because technically no one got _hurt_ when she did it…

“Well, if you’re okay with it can I see it? You don’t have to…”

“No, it’s okay I can show you,” Daci said as she shifted on the couch to face him with her legs crossed. She took a breath before gently placing a hand on his knee, remembering her training as she gently moved her hand up his leg and looking up at his reaction - not sure what to expect - 

But definitely not expecting him to panic, scream, and slap her hand away. 

Embarrassed, she leapt off the couch and stood shaking while her father came sprinting back into the room with Peter and Harley trailing behind him. She looked up at the man who was looking between Clint and Daci as his eyes tried to assess the situation. Clint slowly raised his hands as Daci took another step back, feeling guilty at the fear in the man’s eyes. 

“What happened?” the older brunette asked, the slightest hint of panic in his voice. 

“I’m...I’m sorry. That… I just wasn’t expecting that,” Clint said to Daci, who was fighting against the tears forming in her eyes. 

“Daci?” her Tati asked in a gentle tone, walking around the couch to stand next to her. 

“It was my fault, I...I asked her, and well…” Clint stuttered out, clearly flustered with what just happened. Which only made Daci feel worse. 

“I was showing him what HYDRA taught me,” she explained quietly, shrinking further into herself when the older brunette shut his eyes tightly. 

“Wait, why did HYDRA teach you that?!” Clint asked in further panic. “You’re a child?!”

“I...I…” Daci said, unable to stop the thickness of her voice, looking to her father for help.

“You’d be surprised how many powerful men in the world are actually pedophiles,” Tati answered for her before turning to address the girl. “Nu ai gresit cu nimic. De ce esti suparat?” { _You did nothing wrong. Why are you upset?_ }

“Clint ma uraste,” she said before she burst into tears, unable to hold back any longer. Clint was the only one who liked her from the beginning, before they all felt sorry and or afraid of her. And now? { _Clint hates me_ }

“Wait, what did she just say?” Clint asked with concern, or at least it sounded like it, since her eyes were shut tight as she willed the tears to stop. She felt gentle hands on her shoulders, recognizing her father and jumping into his embrace. 

“Clint does not hate you,” he responded to her in English, which only made her whimper in his arms. 

“What?! No Daci no,” the blonde said, followed by the sounds of the couch creaking. She pulled away from her father to look at the blonde with hope. “Kiddo, that was on me. And my dumb...ness. Of course I don’t hate you. You can hate me though, for asking you to do that.” 

She shook her head no, not wanting to hate the man who accepted her from the beginning. 

“See? No one hates anyone,” her Tati said as he gave her a quick kiss on her head and releasing her before standing up fully. “But apparently everyone needs adult supervision, so everyone to the kitchen to make cookies,” he added before lifting Morgan up into his arms, Harley and Peter already long gone back to the kitchen. She watched as he shifted Morgan to one arm, extending the other one to help the archer stand. 

“Maybe you guys should go without-”

“-you’re not getting out of babysitting, Barton. Up and at’em,” the older brunette said, shaking his free hand at the other man again. Clint stole a look at Daci, who was secretly hoping he’d join them, before grabbing the man’s hand to stand up fully. 

“Piggy back ride?” the blonde asked the other man with a smirk, fumbling when the brunette dropped his hand from the weird question. “Hey!” Clint cried in protest when her Tati took a step away from him. Daci saw her opportunity and took a step towards the blonde, reaching up and offering the man her hand for support. Without hesitation, the blonde grabbed her hand with a big smile on his face. “Thank you, favorite Barnes,” he said before sticking his tongue out at the older man, which got a giggle out of the girl. 

She watched her father open his mouth to respond before being interrupted by Peter calling from the kitchen. 

“Uncle Clint Uncle Buckyyyyy!” 

“Alright, come on,” her Tati said, carrying Morgan to the kitchen. 

“ _Sorry for hitting you_ ,” the man whispered, squeezing her hand for emphasis.

“ _Sorry for scaring you_ ,” she whispered back, a smile on her face as she helped the blonde follow the others to the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

It was close to ten o’clock at night when they finally made it back home. JARVIS had reassured the two on the way back that nothing had set fire and everyone had been fed and put to bed. 

As he walked off the quinjet, Steve stretched his arms above his head and frowned at the popping sound coming from his joints. 

“Old age finally settling in Rogers?” Nat asked with a smirk, holding Bruce’s hand and daring anyone to comment on it.

“You think that’s bad you should hear him snore,” Tony quipped, somehow still looking sexy even as JARVIS mechanically helped him remove his the last of his suit. 

“You’re welcome to sleep on the couch tonight to get away from it,” Steve argued, with no meaning behind it since neither could sleep well without the other. And Tony knew that, as the genius only stuck his tongue out at the blonde while he followed the others to the elevator. 

They bid their teammates goodnight when they got off at their floor, Steve taking the opportunity to pinch his husband’s behind. Tony squealed adorably when he did so, turning to glare at the man who suddenly took interest in the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his husband’s hands go to his hips and a pout on his face which made Steve’s face break into a smile. 

“Do YOU want to sleep on the couch tonight?!” the genius squeaked out, trying to keep his glare but failing miserably. Steve opened his mouth to respond before the two were loudly ‘shushed’. They stared at each other for a confused moment before continuing walking and stopping at the entrance way to the living room. 

Bucky was sitting on the couch with a sleeping Peter in his lap, his index finger held up to his lips for emphasis. The two men immediately quieted and walked carefully over to the other super soldier holding their son. 

_"What happened?"_ Tony asked in a whisper, bending over and running a hand through the boy’s curls. 

“Nightmare,” Bucky said quietly with a sad voice, gently maneuvering the boy’s face to turn towards the men. “Pete, wake up. Look who’s here.” Steve watched as their son blinked himself awake, his eyes bulging comically when he realized who he saw. 

“Daddy! Papa!” Peter cried in excitement, leaping from Bucky’s lap to Tony’s arms, getting a chuckle out of the genius as the blonde looked at them with a smile. 

He hated that Peter had nightmares, usually ones that involved losing his parents - past and present. 

“We’re okay, Petey-pie,” Steve said in reassurance, joining his husband and son to wrap his arms around both while planting a kiss on the younger brunette’s head. He held them in his embrace for another moment before he heard his best friend cough loudly from the couch. 

The three broke apart with a laugh, Tony still holding Peter as the boy tiredly rested his head on the man’s shoulder. 

“I’ll take him back to bed, thanks for watching my kids Barnes,” Tony said, Steve well aware his husband was tired as well if he was being sincere and not using any nicknames. 

“Night-night Peter! Love you!” the blonde said as he stood still and watched with a smile as his husband carried their son back to bed...also checking out his backside because he could.

“Jesus Stevie,” Buck said in disgust, causing the blonde to roll his eyes in amusement. 

“Where’s Clint?” Steve asked, wanting to change the subject and not have Bucky ask him for the upteenth time why he chose Tony. 

“Took some pain pills after we put the two youngest to bed, he’s passed out back on his floor.”

“Bucky is he literally passed out on his floor?” Steve asked in concern, letting the irritation drip into his voice. 

“No of course not! JARVIS said he made it to his bed. He had crutches and everything, don’t give me that look,” the brunette said with a pout, getting Steve to drop the glare that had settled on his face. And also wonder what Bucky was still doing here. 

“Everything okay?” Steve asked after a moment, shifting on his feet at the feeling of still wearing his uniform - but wanting to be there for his friend if he needed to talk about anything. Getting Bucky to talk was like pulling teeth, so if he was willing to talk Steve would seize the opportunity. 

“Why do you ask?” Buck asked, looking at the television screen playing quietly. 

“Cause you’re not going back to your floor?” Steve asked, pointing out the lack of movement from the brunette. 

“Can’t sleep, your tv is bigger,” Bucky explained with a shrug of his shoulder, still not looking up at Steve. The blonde took a deep breath before coming to a decision. 

“Alright, I’m going to go shower and when I come back I’ll make us some hot chocolate,” Steve said before walking towards his bedroom, not waiting for the man’s response as he made his way to clean himself up. There weren’t any loud objections, so he decided to take a quick shower, wondering when Tony would be done talking to Peter before the boy fell asleep. 

He pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and a plain black tee before making his way to the kitchen, smiling brightly when he saw Bucky sitting on a stool waiting for him. 

“Is yours as good as your Ma’s hot chocolate?” Bucky asked, getting a laugh out of the blonde as Steve began to pull the ingredients out of the cabinet and fridge. 

“It’s the same recipe, Buck. Except I also have whipped cream, marshmallows, and chocolate shavings.” He turned around when Bucky had the audacity to scoff at him. “What?”

“If it was as good as your Ma’s you won’t need all that extra stuff.”

“You just wait, jerk,” Steve quipped back with a mock glare before turning around to focus his attention on cooking. They sat in comfortable silence for a bit before he couldn’t take it anymore. “So talk to me, what’s bothering you?” he asked, taking a chance to bring it up first. He could tell it paid off when he heard the brunette sigh behind him. 

“It’s stupid.”

“Buck, considering what you’ve been through, I’m sure it’s not,” Steve turned around to say before turning back to grab two mugs from the cabinet. 

“It’s um…” the brunette faltered as Steve waited patiently for him to continue, focusing on finishing up their drinks. “I... _don’tsleepwellbymyself_ ,” Bucky rushed out the last words just as Steve was turning around, almost causing him to spill the cups. He was able to successfully place both on the counter, however, Bucky’s plain hot chocolate while Steve's had all the fixins. He watched with a smile as his oldest friend looked skeptically between the two drinks before cautiously taking a sip of his own. 

Steve took that opportunity to drink from his own cup, unable to hide the smile as the brunette still squinted his eyes at the other man. 

“Okay, I admit this is pretty damn good. And if memory serves me, just as good as Mama Rogers’. Now...that being said…”

“You want whipped cream and chocolate shavings?” Steve interjected, moving back to the counter that had the ingredients. 

“Yes please,” Bucky answered for him, reaching both hands for the new cup with glee before taking a hefty gulp. “Oh, that is still taking some getting used to,” Bucky murmured as he clutched the mug with his metal hand. 

“It’s good though, right? You know you can tell Tony if you need any updates,” Steve replied, smiling at both his friend's comfort and his husband's genius.

“Yeah, he has reminded me of that many times.”

“Told you he was generous,” Steve said with a smug smile before turning the subject back to Bucky. “Why don’t you sleep with your kid?” 

The question got an eye roll from his oldest friend, which was significantly less impressive with the whip cream mustache. 

“Because I’m trying to give her a normal life. And yeah she’s five but she deserves her autonomy and her own bed in her own room. I can’t...I can’t keep relying on her. She deserves so much more than what I can give her…”

“Hey now, Buck. How can you say that? You’re doing a great job with Daci, you’re already giving her everything she needs and more.” Steve hesitated before reaching a hand out to rest on the other man’s shoulder. “She’s already changed into a happier and healthier kid in the short amount of time she’s been here.” 

“Yeah but apparently I’m still dropping the ball! I forgot…” he watched the brunette pause, like he wasn’t sure how to say what he needed to say next. Bucky closed his eyes before continuing. “I _mentally blocked_ HYDRA training her to…” Steve watched as his oldest friend took a deep, shaky breath. “They were preparing her to...seduce world leaders before killing them. And earlier...I wasn’t in the room but she apparently ‘showed Clint’ what HYDRA taught her.”

“Clint…?” Steve began, knowing the archer well enough but needed to hear the words regardless. 

“Was just as freaked out as she was. But that’s my point. I failed her and I keep failing her and-”

“-Buck! Stop and just breathe. You are not failing your kid. She is safe, and happy and just needs to keep learning. Including good touch vs bad touch. Which, just to clarify, we’d all be happy to help out with.”

The brunette seemed to absorb those words, sighing before nodding his head in concession. 

“Thanks Stevie, but that still doesn’t solve my sleep problem,” Bucky said as he took another gulp. “Plus I love her to death, but sometimes she kicks in her sleep.”

“Ah...she ever get you between your legs?” the blonde asked with a smirk as the brunette returned the smile.

“I had never wept so hard and so quietly for so long in my entire life,” Buck said with a straight face, which immediately broke when his oldest friend in the world burst out laughing. 

“Yeah,” Steve said after he collected himself, wiping his face of happy tears, “they tend to do that.”

“Yeah and you’ve got three of them! Jesus, Stevie. I knew you’d settle down but three babies? At once?”

“We didn’t exactly plan for that, in my defense,” Steve said with his one hand raised before finishing off his drink. He loved his babies to death, but he and Tony were still adjusting to being responsible for three small kids after only thirty days of gaining custody of them. 

“Yeah but...tell me you haven’t at least had second thoughts about all of this! I mean come on Stevie, you’re in your prime already settled down,” Bucky said, waving his arms around for emphasis before finishing his drink. The kids’ drawings littered the fridge and there were two stuffed animals currently occupying the other bar stools. The blonde rolled his eyes fondly before crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Of course I’ve had second thoughts! I’m still human after all. I’ve also had many doubts about literally every choice I’ve made in my life. I’ve had second thoughts about the serum, being Captain America, being an Avenger, being a leader...a husband and yeah, most recently a father. There are a lot of hard days, days I want to rip my own hair out. And yes maybe even one or two where I've considered getting on a motorcycle and never looking back...but I also wouldn’t trade it for anything," Steve finished with a sincere smile, feeling his heart warm at the thought that of his family.

He'd meant it with his whole heart about not trading them. Steve had known he was gay from a young age and never dreamed he'd be able to marry (since it was also illegal) as a frail sickly child, while he also resounded himself to never being able to have children. Yes it had kind of happened all at one, but he had waited long enough.

“Nice to know you haven’t lost any of that obnoxious sincerity,” Buck retorted sarcastically, causing Steve to send his oldest friend a glare. Which the brunette promptly ignored. 

“Yeah well, good to see you’re still a hard-headed jackass,” Steve maturely responded, taking both mugs and raising Buck’s as a silent offer to get him another. The brunette shook his head no before slouching a little in his stool. Steve frowned before quickly washing the mugs, thinking about what they were originally talking about. “So, your lack of sleep issue, I have an idea,” Steve said as he wiped his hands on a towel before turning back to his oldest friend. Bucky was just glaring back at him. 

“If you suggest a stuffed animal, I’m going to punch you in the face.”

“Grow up, I was going to suggest - the possibility - of getting back in the dating pool. So you can have a partner to sleep with,” Steve said, his seriousness undercut by his mocking tone. 

“Wow. ‘Sleep with?’ This coming from the same Stevie who told me about losing his virginity by saying, and I quote ‘he had a...you know...nice member’,” Bucky mocked back, dodging the swat Steve threw his way as the blonde felt his cheeks pink. 

“Would you rather me talk about how much I love eating Tony’s ass? Cause I can talk about how much I love eating-”

“-OKAY okay I get it. I...actually think I have someone in mind.”

“Really?” Steve asked in amazement. 

“Yeah...there’s this blonde…” the brunette said with a small smile that immediately piqued Steve’s interest. _Does Bucky know about Clint’s very obvious crush?_

As far as he knew, Buck was straight. But then again, the two centenarians where in a whole new century...

Steve promised to stay out of it after confronting Clint one morning. But Bucky didn’t recoil or shy away from Clint’s… ‘Clint-ness’... and overall he did think they would make a cute couple...

“It’d be kinda weird though…” Bucky added, disrupting Steve’s train of thoughts as he looked at the brunette with hope. 

“If you like them, you should ask them out,” Steve said simply, shrugging his shoulders as if he hadn’t thought about various double date ideas. 

“Yeah?” his oldest friend asked apprehensively. 

“Of course! You know, if you think you’re ready then why not?” Steve added, hoping he sounded nonchalant. 

“You’re right. I’ll ask her out, thanks Stevie,” Bucky said as he stood up off his stool. Steve’s face scrunched up in confusion, mouthing _her_ to himself as the brunette walked away towards the spare room Daci was staying in. 

Steve stood there for another moment, hands on his hips as he tried to think about who Bucky’s crush could possibly be - since he never leaves the tower. And he must know Nat is with Bruce...or maybe he didn’t? Shaking his head of his thoughts, he wiped the counter before asking JARVIS to turn off the lights as he walked to his bedroom. 

Opening the door quietly, he couldn’t help but smile at seeing his slumbering husband already in bed. Normally Tony would’ve been in his lab, or reading something on his tablet but the Doombot fight plus putting Petey to bed must’ve knocked him out. He was even on the far side of the bed, facing the wall and not hogging the covers or snuggled up in the middle. 

Steve’s smile brightened as he thought about his little genius _actually_ getting some sleep. And without him having to physically drag him, no less. He pulled the covers back and climbed in next to him, reaching over to grab his husband’s waist and pulling him back to the center so they could spoon. 

He thought he heard Tony’s breath hitch from the action, but assumed it was just a dream his husband was having and settled in to join him. 

* * *

The next morning, he woke up to his internal clock at around five am. Tony was still slumbering next to him, which had the blonde gently kiss his cheek before climbing out of bed to start his day. He texted Bucky to see if he’d join him in a morning run, but wasn’t surprised by the lack of response from his oldest friend. 

Not many people in his circle got up as early as he did. He used to get up at four, but having three kids added a layer of exhaustion that required an additional hour of sleep. Then again, he was still the only super soldier on the team. Though that may change with Bucky back in his life. 

_Wait...did Bucky even want to be an Avenger?_

He thought about his oldest friend for a while along his run, until he could smell a nearby bakery and decided to grab some treats for breakfast. After tipping heavily and taking a picture with the cashier, he walked the rest of the way home, bags in hand. 

“JARVIS is anyone awake?” he asked the AI once he got on the elevator to the tower, checking his watch to see it was half past six. 

_"Sir is currently in his lab."_

“Alright, thanks J,” Steve said as he stepped out onto his floor. He put the bag on the kitchen counter and fished out Tony’s favorites. His husband had a coffee machine in his lab and was no doubt drinking it without eating any breakfast. Steve ate an apple fritter and chugged a glass of water before plating his husband's donuts and walking towards his lab. 

ACDC was playing loudly as he descended the steps, asking JARVIS to lower the volume before typing in his code. The ‘harumph’ he heard from his husband only made him smile. 

The genius still had heavy bedhead, dressed in his signature tank top and sweatpants and was glaring at the blonde as he approached him. 

“I’m kind of busy here St-” Tony began, before his eyes settled on the plate of donuts and he immediately made grabby hands. Steve chuckled as he handed his husband the plate, one chocolate creampie, a golden donut and two blueberry donuts.

“I rightfully assumed you hadn’t planned on eating breakfast,” the blonde said smugly, still sweaty from his run and hungrily eyeing his husband’s form. There was something about sleepy and slightly grumpy Tony that always turned Steve on. 

Who was he kidding, he hasn’t found an unattractive side to Tony. Even when he was being obnoxiously competitive and a sore loser, Steve couldn’t help but checking his love out every chance he got. 

“Go upstairs and shower before you sweat over my calculations,” Tony said dismissively between a mouthful of the creampie...which could easily spill onto said ‘calculations’ and got Steve to quirk a brow back at the genius. It was of course at that moment that a glop of filling spilled onto the worksheets. 

Steve wisely kept his mouth shut but couldn’t help a smile crack from his lips, which only further infuriated his husband. 

“Look what you did!” the brunette cried with a pout, wiping the sheet of paper frantically. 

“What? I didn’t sweat on it,” Steve sassed back. 

“You...you distracted me,” Tony replied weakly, a pout still on his cute face as he got another sheet of paper to copy whatever had been written on the other. 

“I’m terribly sorry for bringing you your favorite donuts,” Steve said sarcastically as he reached a hand out to wrap around his husband’s waist. But the genius evaded the move and only glared back at the blonde. 

“I have a lot of work to do. Thanks for the donuts,” Tony clipped back as he purposefully moved the plate on the other side of the table and returned to his work. Steve looked with confusion back at his husband, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong when the AI interrupted. 

_“Sirs, Young Miss Morgan and Young Mister Harley are both awake and asking for attention.”_

“Coming J, we’ll see you for lunch right?” he asked the brunette who was concentrating on his papers. 

“I’ll be up whenever I finish,” the grumpy genius replied, not even looking up as Steve left the lab. 

_Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,_ Steve thought to himself as he went to get his two youngest kiddos. He went for Morgan first, greeting his princess with a smile before taking her to Harley’s room to change and grab his middle child. One in each arm, he took his two youngest into the kitchen to feed them some fruit and oatmeal. 

He’d give them a little bit of donut later, but he knew better than to give them sugar this early in the morning. 

After both babies ate and were promptly cleaned, he brought them into the living room and put some cartoons on, knowing it would be a while until anyone else woke up. 

It was two hours before his oldest woke up, sleepily joining them in the living room before perking up at the mention of donuts. They were technically related by blood, but Steve was starting to suspect Peter would be a clone of Tony. And since Harley was starting to copy Steve’s mannerisms, it was probably safe to say nurture won out over nature. 

The elevator dinged as Steve wiped Morgan’s sticky fingers from her glazed donut, smiling at the sounds of Clint, Bucky and Daci making their way to join them. Clint hobbled in with his injured ankle in a boot, mid-argument with Bucky over something until the archer’s eyes found the box of donuts. 

“Steve you mind watching the kid while I go to SHIELD for my evaluation?” Buck asked as Peter encouraged Daci to try the chocolate donut with sprinkles. 

“Not at all,” Steve replied with a smile. 

“Sweet. And Daci can stay here too right?” 

Steve immediately let out a laugh, laughing harder when it took Clint a second to realize what the brunette had said. 

“Hey!” Clint cried indignantly around a mouthful of donut. Steve couldn’t help but sigh at the two, hating that he promised the archer he’d stay out of it. He watched as Buck waved his goodbyes before leaving for the elevator. “Your Tati is a bully, Daci.”

“You’re an easy target, Clint,” the girl replied without much sympathy, which got another laugh out of the super soldier. Clint gasped in fake offense as the elevator dinged again, revealing a sleepy looking Bruce. 

“Morning, where’s Nat?” Steve asked the genius as Morgan crawled over to sit on Clint’s lap. 

“Sleeping, where’s Tony?” the doctor asked as he accepted the hug from a giggling Harley. 

“In his lab, being a cranky sourpuss,” Steve answered, letting out an ‘ooph’ when Harley came out of nowhere and jumped onto his lap - not at all gently. “Harley, baby, we’ve talked about this,” he attempted to say sternly. Attempted, since his little blonde was giggling up at him.

Banner hummed in agreement before turning to Clint. 

“How’s your ankle?” 

“Healed enough that I can’t get anymore sympathy favors, but not enough to actually return to active duty. Unless one of you wanted to be a true hero and piggy-back me…” Clint trailed off, frowning when Bruce simply walked away to the kitchen mid-sentence and Steve barked out another laugh. “Why must you laugh at my pain, Rogers?”

“Because you amuse me, Barton,” Steve quipped back, readjusting Harley in his lap as the toddler snuggled closer to his Papa. The archer only stuck his tongue out at him in response, adjusting the baby in his lap before the group settled into a comfortable silence watching cartoons together. 

Around lunchtime is when Natasha joined them, taking Morgan from Clint's lap as Steve heard his stomach rumble. 

“I’ll make us some sandwiches for lunch,” Steve offered as he gently pushed Harley off his lap, getting up and smiling when he noticed Daci following him. “You gonna help me make sandwiches Daci?”

“Sure,” the girl said dismissively, shrugging her shoulders for emphasis. Steve looked at her for a moment before grabbing the ingredients from the fridge. 

“Is...everything okay sweetheart?” he asked, noticing the suddenly antsy nature of the child. She had slowly come around to trusting the Avengers and hadn’t acted this shy in a while. Her blue eyes shifted back and forth before looking up at his. He was patient with her, arranging sandwiches as she climbed up to sit on the counter next to him. And after taking a deep breath, she started to speak.

“Do you think...do you think my Tati is happy?”

Steve almost cut his hand slicing a tomato, surprised that that was what was bothering the child. 

“Um, yeah I think so. Why do you ask?”

“I want him to be happy,” she said simply, kicking her legs a little in anxiety. “And I don’t think he is.”

“What do you mean? Of course he’s happy! He’s got you.”

“But I’m not enough. He needs...he needs more,” she said with a sigh, looking down at her lap sadly.

“Sweetheart, your Tati loves you very much. I promise you make him happy -”

“- don’t lie Steve. I see him. I know he doesn’t sleep. I see that look in his eye. He’s sad. And I can’t...I can’t change that. He needs...he needs what you and Tony have.” That got a quirked brow from the super soldier before a smile slowly spread across his face. 

“Daci...you think your Dad needs a...partner?” Steve asked, doing his best to keep the laughter out of his voice at this entire situation. He could tell the five year old was taking this very seriously, if the glare on her tiny face was anything to go by. 

“ _I’m_ his partner. He needs a girlfriend,” she huffed back at him, making Steve purse his lips to keep from laughing aloud. She was awfully cute and totally reminded him of a young Buck. 

“Right, sorry that’s what I meant, girlfriend. You think he needs a girlfriend?” Steve reiterated as he finished up the last of the sandwiches and started cutting some fruit. 

“I don’t know!” the five year old sighed in exasperation. _Yup, just like Buck._

“Sweetheart I don’t think this is something you should be worrying about. That’s kind of adult stuff,” he said, immediately grimacing when he saw the offended look on her face. 

Right, the five year old had seen plenty of ‘adult stuff’ in her short life…

“What I mean is, that’s not something you, _as his child,_ can help your Tati with. Kids really shouldn’t get involved in their parent’s love lives. I wouldn’t expect any of my kiddos to get in the middle of me and Tony.”

“But I want him to be happy,” she said with a frown as Steve finished up the sandwiches. The blonde took that opportunity to wipe his hands with a towel before moving to stand directly in front of the girl. 

“And that is very sweet, Daciana. But that isn’t your job. Your job is to learn how to be a kid. And you are doing a great job with that,” he said with a smile, bringing his arms up to give her the option of a hug. Thinking about his earlier conversation with Bucky, he gave her the option patiently. She was already better with physical touch, and Steve would be lying if he said he didn’t love that after Bucky, he was the one she requested the most physical affection from. 

His smile was starting to make his cheeks hurt as she easily melted into his hug, sighing dramatically against his chest. _Just like her father…_

“Could we go to the gym today?” she asked quietly before pulling out of the hug, puppy eyes looking up at him - making him cave easily. 

“Absolutely. We’ll go after lunch! Mind helping me take these sandwiches to the table?” Steve began grabbing plates and bowls of fruit as Daci hopped down off the counter. 

“Steve...can we have chips with the sandwiches?” He sighed internally, hoping to avoid putting any chips out since his little ones sucked them up like vacuum cleaners. But grabbed a bag regardless, putting some on a plate for Daci while tucking the rest away. 

He contemplated bringing some sandwiches down to Tony and Bruce, but decided if they wanted to eat they could come up and grab some themselves. 

“Lunch is ready!” he called to the people in the living room, smiling at the sound of tiny pounding feet joining them in the dining room. Even though Nat and Clint joined them, they kept themselves fairly clean and after lunch everyone migrated down to the gym floor - minus Tony and Bruce, who were still down in the lab. 

Steve let Harley and Morgan wander the gym floor after having JARVIS shut down the parts with weapons and weights. It left the gymnastics and jungle gym open, which were super child-proof with excess padding. Clint had taken it upon himself to show off his tumbling skills, which prompted all four kids to attempt to copy him. 

The super soldier let out a laugh when Harley face planted into the mat for his rendition of a somersault, glad to see his toddler just giggle and pull himself up again. Peter showed off his cartwheel, which got Daci trying to do one. Steve watched with a fond smile before deciding he wanted to do a handstand himself, craning his neck when he heard his daughter giggle in his direction. 

Morgan toddled over to him before bending over to turn herself upside down, giggling in his face as he couldn’t help chuckling in return. 

“Apa?” she asked the man, who finally tucked and rolled to face his kid. Steve turned towards her and let out a laugh, since the baby had her head on the ground and butt in the air. 

“You want Papa to help you do a handstand?” he asked the girl with a smile, not waiting for an answer as he gently grabbed her chubby little legs to flip her upside down. The baby burst out laughing, hands trying to stay still on the floor as the others joined them. 

“Oh wow, look at you Morgan!” Peter cheered as he walked around Steve to jump on the man’s back, wrapping his tiny arms around his neck. The super soldier kept his balance, glaring at Clint when the archer encouraged Harley to also ‘hop on Pop.’

“Me next Papa! Me next!” Harley cried instead, causing Steve to bring his baby girl upright again and gently placing her to the side. As he helped his toddler do a handstand, he watched as Peter went over to his Uncle Clint to ask him to help the boy do one as well. 

Nat had walked around to grab Morgan, taking her a few feet away and teaching her niece to tumble. Wiggly legs made Steve bring his attention back to his mini me before gently laying him on the padded ground. He suddenly noticed that Daci was quiet, just watching the group before Steve decided to make her an offer. 

“Daci? Want some help doing a handstand?” he asked the girl as Peter started walking on his hands, still being assisted by his uncle. When he looked back toward the girl, he burst out a laugh seeing the look on her face. 

It was the ‘are you fucking kidding me?’ look. 

He had seen it on Bucky too many times to count. 

Before Steve could ask a follow up, the tiny super soldier did a back flip that ended in a handstand. It earned a well deserved applause from everyone else, whose attention had turned to the little acrobat. 

Including Clint and Peter, who both lost focus, causing the five year old to fall on his face. Steve quickly rushed over to him as the boy began to sniffle. He picked him up and inspected his face, glad to see only a small red mark on his forehead. 

“You okay baby?” he asked Peter, frowning when the tears began to spill down his cheek, causing Steve to kiss the spot and bring the boy into a hug. When the boy shook his head no, Steve stood the two up, cradling the boy close. “I’m going to take Petey upstairs to get an ice pack. Nat you’re obviously in charge.”

“Hey!” cried the pouty archer. 

"You made my baby face plant," Steve said with a mock glare to the other blonde. 

“Sorry Peter,” Daci said quietly, but not quiet enough for his super hearing. 

“Hey, it’s not our fault Daci,” Steve said in reassurance as he hugged the boy in his arms.

“Oh yeah, never apologize for awesomeness,” Clint piped in. Steve sent him a look before addressing the girl again. Inwardly sad she was still skittish about expressing herself. 

“It’s in no way your fault sweetheart, it's Clint's for dropping my son. And at some point in the near future, I’ll need you to teach me that move, okay?” Steve asked with a smile, only turning to leave when she smiled in return. “Alright Petey, let’s get you an ice pack and maybe a cookie or two, okay?” he cooed at his son as the sweet boy nodded with a fist scrubbing his eye in sadness. 

Steve kissed his cheek again when he got in the elevator, using the time it took to walk to the kitchen to hum an old melody to the boy. Well, technically younger than him, but he had discovered Miles Davis when he woke up from the ice and had bought all of his records. 

Vinyl and everything, which Tony enthusiastically helped add to his collection. 

“Can I get two cookies Papa?” Peter asked with a sniffle, mostly past the crying and making Steve suddenly proud in that moment. 

“Of course baby, you were really brave just now. I think you deserve two cookies. I’m proud of you bubba,” Steve said, adding another kiss to the boy’s cheek as they entered the kitchen. 

Apparently not alone. 

The two genius' were sipping on what he assumed was coffee for Tony and tea for Bruce. 

“Petey what happened?” Tony asked, putting his coffee cup on the counter and walking over to them. Steve happily handed the boy over to his husband when his son reached for him, not jealous that he often looked to Tony for comfort. 

It was literally by the week with this kid, last week Steve was the only one who could make him feel better. 

“I fell on my face, Daddy,” Peter said with an adorable pout, rubbing his tiny hand over the spot for good measure. Steve couldn’t hide his smile as he got an ice pack, knowing the boy was hamming it up a little based on his previous behavior, but also knowing that their boy was five. And could always use undivided attention from his Daddy. 

That was something he’d come to love about Tony as a father. When one of the babies was hurt, he often times gave that one extra attention. While still showing the others love and affection. It hurt whenever Tony doubted his parenting abilities just because of his horrible father. **He** was an amazing dad. 

“Here baby,” Steve said to the boy, only rolling his eyes when he caught his husband giving Peter three cookies. He gently placed the bag against the boy’s head, noting his husband was considerably less grumpy than he was earlier when he offered the blonde a smile and helped the boy hold it to his head. 

Coffee usually helped the genius. Plus Bruce probably helped. Speaking of, the doctor smiled and waved at the super soldier before making his quiet exit to no doubt go find his girlfriend. 

“What do you want to drink to wash down those cookies Peter Pan?” Tony cooed to the boy, offering Steve a smirk before going to the fridge, daring the man to stop him. 

“Juice!”

As his husband went to the fridge, Steve went to the cabinets to grab a small cup, smiling when Tony opened a bottle of apple juice and poured it before taking the cup from the blonde’s hand to let their son sip. He watched father and son with fondness for another moment, thankful for their moment of peace before the inevitable explosion that was nap time for his kids.


	8. Chapter 8

After Steve left to take care of Peter, it wasn’t long before the other two Stark babies wanted to go back to their floor. Luckily, Clint sensed that Daci wanted to stay longer and asked Nat to take the two babies upstairs so they could stay in the gym. 

Clint was a close second behind her father for who she liked the most. He always wanted to hang out with her, always made her laugh and never judged her. It’s too bad her father didn’t like guys, she could see Clint being a second parent to her. 

But that was just wishful thinking. 

“So...now that the kiddos are gone, wanna train?”

“Okay!” she exclaimed with a smile, hopping a little in place as she considered what to do first. 

“Before we get started, can you do Captain America saying ‘ _Avengers assemble_ ’?” Clint asked with such enthusiasm Daci couldn’t refuse the request. 

“Avengers, assemble.” Clint laughed so hard that she couldn’t help but join him, glad to see Clint so happy with her powers. No one else really asked her about them. 

“Oh my god, I hope you don’t mind me asking you to say that several more times...along with other impeccable impressions. You’re really amazing.” Warmth immediately spread throughout her body as she could only smile back at him, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. “Come on, I wanna see you move heavy things without touching them. Then after, when you’re somewhat tired out, we’ll spar.”

She could only gawk at his back as he walked towards the weights. 

“You...you’d spar with me?” she asked skeptically, following the man after a moment and frowning at the weird boxes he was trying to move. 

“Well yeah,” he said, giving up on the box after a moment, “but like I said, after I tire you out.” He finished with a smile and turned to her, bringing a matching smile onto her face. She felt herself blush, a little embarrassed with how emotional she was being right now. 

Even if her Tati had reminded her to just accept those feelings and ‘let them happen.’ 

She looked at the box for another moment before turning to Clint with a smile. 

“Want me to move that box for you?” she asked with a coy smile, smiling brighter when the blonde let out an enthusiastic laugh. Man, she really liked Clint. 

They trained for half an hour before she asked to spar. Which was also a lot of fun. Clint was well trained, Tati had read her his file. And if the last half hour was anything to go by, he had a lot of experience with hand to hand combat. 

He actually beat her a few times. 

A thought popped in her head when she saw him glance at his weapon of choice.

“Hey…” she began eyeing the weapons area, “could you teach me how to shoot an arrow?” His eyes widened comically as a smile slowly appeared on her face. When she and her Tati trained together, he didn’t allow her to use any weapons. In fact, he kept it strictly to her powers and how to use them. 

She was good with a gun, but no adults like to watch her shoot them.

If there was any adult in the tower who would let her try with a _bow_...it was Clint. 

“Please?” she asked, putting her bottom lip out like she had seen the Stark children do to get their way. It worked immediately, the archer conceding with a huff before leading the way to the weapons area. 

“If anyone asks, you twisted my arm, okay?” Clint said as Daci stopped in his tracks. _Why would she hurt Clint to have him do something? Did they think she was HYDRA after all?_

“I wouldn’t twist your arm,” she said sadly, watching Clint turn around and face morph into panic. 

“No, no it’s an expression,” the blonde said, arms waving frantically as he came to squat down in front of the girl. “Like you _made_ me do it as an excuse for me giving in so easily. It’s just a joke, Daci.” While that did make her relax a little, she still had a frown on her face. 

“Jokes are supposed to be funny,” she accused with a glare as she watched Clint fail to hold back a laugh. 

“Yup, no, that’s...that’s fair kiddo. Sorry, just forget it. If anyone asks, it’s totally my fault I’m teaching a five year old how to shoot with a bow, okay? Let’s go shoot some arrows,” he said with a smile, standing up and pointing to the bows. She looked at him for another moment, trying to get used to his humor, before nodding her head in agreement. 

_He didn’t actually think she’d twist his arm._

A smile quickly formed on her face when he began talking about his weapon of choice. Seeing him get excited about the details, history and safety usage of the bow made something warm settle in her gut. She didn’t have the word for it, but she was really liking spending time with Clint. 

It was almost a similar kind of love she felt for her Tati. 

Clint found a bow small enough for her and had her practice with a target. It didn’t take her long before she hit the bullseye, at which point the blonde let out a triumphant yell that had Daci smiling in equal excitement. 

“You did it! Holy crap Daciana that was awesome!” the archer exclaimed, reaching his arms out before recoiling immediately. _He was trying to hug her,_ she realized with a frown at his hesitancy. Tati had explained to her something called ‘good vs bad touch’ and Clint was just trying to give her a good one. 

With a confident smile, she spread her arms out in invitation, smiling when he returned the smile and quickly squatted down to hug her. 

“Thanks for teaching me, Clint,” she said before she pulled back, reaching for the bow before they were interrupted by the ceiling robot. 

_“Young Miss Daciana, your father has arrived and is asking you to return to your floor.”_ She couldn’t help but be a little sad, since she was having so much fun with Clint. But she also missed her Tati and wanted to know how his test went. 

“Okay,” she said to the ceiling before turning back to the archer. “Thanks again, Clint. Maybe we could do this again sometime?” 

“Absolutely, Daci. Anytime you wanna meet in the gym, just ask, okay?” She nodded with a warm smile before taking off towards the elevator. On the ride up, she suddenly felt the exhaustion seep into her bones as she let out a long yawn. She was starting to feel sleepy after all the fun she had with Clint. When she got off to their floor, she heard the sounds of her Tati in the kitchen. 

She stopped in her tracks when she heard another voice and realized he wasn’t alone. 

It was a woman’s voice. 

And it wasn’t Natasha’s. 

Instantly more awake and quiet with her movements, she stalked around the corner to further investigate who this was and why she had a bad feeling in her stomach. 

Standing next to her father was a tall blonde woman, bright red lipstick on a pretty face with a lean body. She was in a pretty green dress and kept laughing at whatever her father said. They were speaking in hushed tones, and add that to the pounding in her ears, her super soldier hearing couldn’t make out what they were saying. 

Just that they were _v_ _e_ _ry_ friendly with each other. 

A dark feeling spread throughout her, suddenly disliking this woman very much. 

For reasons she can’t quite explain. 

When the woman grabbed his hand, Daci finally made her presence known. She rounded the corner and walked directly over to the suddenly surprised two. They separated from each other as Daci took her time to eye the woman up and down. 

“Daci, hey cub,” her Tati said as he walked over to no doubt pull her into a hug. But before he could, Daci interrupted him. 

“Who is she?” she asked, eyes trained on the woman who was smiling down at the girl. The smile was real, but she could see a subtle shift in the woman’s blue eyes that kept her weary. 

“Daciana,” her Tati said with a more even voice, “this is my...friend Vivienne. **Fii dragut** ,” he finished in Romanian. { _Be nice_ }

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Daciana. Your daddy has told me so much about you. You are a very special girl.” That comment, meant to be a compliment, only infuriated the girl. 

“ _I-ai spus_?” she asked him in a harsh whisper. { _You told her?_ }

“She’s with SHIELD,” her father said in English. As if that meant she was supposed to suddenly trust this stranger. 

“Speaking of, I should probably head back,” the woman said with an apologetic smile. She leaned over and kissed her Tati’s cheek before turning her attention back to Daci. “It was great meeting you, I look forward to seeing you more often.” Daci remained silent as she watched the tall blonde leave, frowning when she saw the smile on her father’s face. 

_Why did he like this woman?_

She studied his face, not liking how he was still looking at the doorway she exited with a dopey grin on his face. He took a deep breath before sighing and eventually turning his attention back to his child. Who was just glaring back at him. 

“Well, what do you think about Vivienne?” he asked her with a bright smile. She looked at him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. He didn’t seem fazed by her displeasure, just continued walking around the kitchen with a weird smile. “Yeah, she’s pretty great. She’s the reason I’ll be joining the Avengers.”

_Oh right._

“You passed?” Daci asked, demeanor changing as she suddenly remembered her father’s evaluation happened today. As he nodded his head yes, she ran over to jump into his arms. He lifted her up into a hug, adding a kiss to her cheek that immediately squashed her previous anger. “Congrats Tati.”

“Thanks cub.”

“Do you...do you have to go on **every** mission?” she asked, suddenly scared of what this all meant. She was happy that he was happy, even if it was scary that he could get hurt. He gently pulled her out of his embrace before sitting her on the kitchen counter, big arms bracketing her sides and bringing his face to her eye level. . 

“No, part of my negotiation with Fury was to pick my battles, and mostly be a backup. You will always come first, ficca.” { _daughter_ } 

  
  


“Promise?” she asked quietly, feeling like a child and suddenly needing the reassurance; remembering her father recommending, ‘just act on it’.

“I promise, Daci,” he said before planting a kiss on her forehead. She felt safe and tired again, letting out another yawn that had her Tati pull back with a smile. “Need a nap, cub?” She couldn’t help but frown, feeling tired but wanting to spend time with her father. “I could use a nap,” he added, bringing a smile to her face. 

“Okay, I’ll go grab wolf,” she said before racing off to her room. Wolf was sitting on her bed, she grabbed her before making her way to her father’s room. Her Tati was waiting for her, a smile on his face as he pulled the covers back. As she climbed in with him, she squeezed wolf close to her chest and nuzzled against her father. 

His big arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe and loved as she drifted off to sleep. 

She woke up first, blinking herself awake as she noticed her father still sleeping. She decided to try for the hundredth time, shifting a little in his arms and immediately waking him. With a pout, she untangled herself from his arms and stretched her arms above her head. 

“Want to go see what the Starks are up to?” he asked in a sleepy voice, scrubbing his face with his hands before standing up off the bed. 

“Sure,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders, still getting rid of the sleepiness as she watched him walk to the bathroom. After she took her own turn in the bathroom, the two made their way to the elevator and up to the Starks’ floor. 

A loud, thundering voice echoed throughout the halls, startling her a little as both she and her father froze in their tracks. 

“It was a hard fought battle, but we claimed victory in the end!” the voice boomed, suddenly reminding both her and her father who it was. They shared a look of relief before they continued walking, turning with a smile to see Thor standing in the middle of the room. She had almost forgotten him, as he had flown back to Asgard after he helped rescue her father. 

She had also forgotten how loud he is. 

“Greetings friends!” the man bellowed when he noticed the pair join them, startling Harley who was in his arms. 

“Unca T’or too loud!” the toddler cried, covering his ears with his hands. 

“My apologies little warrior,” Thor said in a quiet rumble, something Daci didn’t know he was capable of. 

“Thor,” her Tati said in acknowledgement, nodding at the man who smiled in return. 

“Unca Bucky!” Harley cried in excitement, wiggle down from Thor before toddling over to her father, who sighed heavily before obliging the toddler and lifting him up into his arms. 

“I heard you had an evaluation today, how did you fair?” Thor asked as he sat down on the couch next to Peter. 

“Oh, I um...I passed,” her Tati said with a blush on his face, walking towards the recliner before sitting down with Harley in his lap. Daci watched with a smile as everyone congratulated him before she walked over to sit on the ground next to Steve and Morgan. 

“This is cause for celebration!” Thor bellowed once more. “Invite the others, we will drink and feast tonight!” 

“Maybe not drink, but I agree that’s awesome Bucky,” Steve said with a pointed look at Thor. “I was thinking of ordering pizza for dinner anyway. You guys hungry?”

A chorus of ‘yeahs’ rang out from the other kids, including a cheer from Tony and Thor, which made Daci smile. 

“JARVIS, see what Barton, Banner and Romanoff are doing. Invite them up for celebratory pizza,” Tony said to the ceiling. Conversations picked up as the others quickly arrived, Daci remaining quiet as she watched the group get loud and interact with one another. 

It was times like this she felt like an outsider looking in. 

Not necessarily in the bad way, when she first arrived and felt left out. But still in a way that felt like a trance and was hard to shake out of. 

Even when the pizza arrived and Steve let everyone eat in the living room, she stayed disengaged until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, blinking in surprise when she saw her Tati moving to sit next to her, unaware that he had even moved. 

He had a furrowed brow of concern, asking her silently if she was okay. She reached a hand out to squeeze his wrist twice, smiling back at him without saying a word. He seemed content with that, smiling at her before immediately letting out a groan when Morgan took that opportunity to climb into his lap. 

Daci laughed for the first time that day, loving to see Morgan squeal with delight and her father send her a mock glare back at her. It got the attention of everyone else, who turned and let out their own noises of joy. 

She watched with a fond smile before leaning her head against his shoulder, wondering if her father would be more comfortable with babies if he had met her as one. That almost put her on a spiral of bad thoughts but it was interrupted when she felt a kiss on the top of her head. 

She snuggled closer to her father and watched as Morgan pulled his long hair, smiling to herself as the two interacted with one another. Maybe one day he’d consider having more kids, she might not mind having siblings. 

It wasn’t long before the other Avengers showed up, carrying with them the pizza boxes Tony had ordered. She continued watching the group in silence, taking Morgan’s spot on her Tati’s lap when the baby moved to sit with her Papa. After a while the Stark children grew tired and were taken to bed, but the others remained joyfully exchanging stories in the living room until Steve and Tony came back.

“Friends! Now that the children have gone to bed, we must drink in celebration!” Thor bellowed out as he pulled a flask out of nowhere. 

“Thor, there is still a child obviously in this room. Plus Daci is still here,” Natasha said with a smirk, pointing to Clint with a smile. Everyone but Clint laughed, who just pouted with a mouthful of pizza. 

“Yes and some of us don’t drink anymore,” Tony said as he grabbed another slice. 

“But there is cause for celebration! The Winter Soldier has been approved to join our ranks!” the god said with a pout, mid pouring his drink into the glass of soda he was drinking out of. 

“Don’t call him that Thor, **Bucky** has been approved to join the team,” Steve said with a stern tone, even though she could tell sitting in his lap it didn’t bother her father too much. 

“Regardless, I could use a drink,” Natasha said as she suddenly appeared with a large clear bottle and several tiny drinking glasses. “And you will be joining me,” she added before handing the doctor a tiny glass full of clear liquid. 

“Nat I-”

“-A toast! To Barnes!” Thor interrupted as he helped pass out drinks to everyone but Tony and Daci. 

“Are we going to even feel anything?” her Tati asked Steve who was rolling his eyes at all of this. 

“No but-”

“-but I brought my Asgardian mead!” Thor cried cheerfully before pouring a few drops of his drink into his, Steve’s and her Tati’s drinks. “To Barnes!” he said again as he raised his glass in the air. She watched everyone else copy him, smiling when Tony winked at her and picked up his water, which she copied in turn and joined the other’s cheer of ‘to Barnes!’ 

“Another!” Thor said, pouring the bottle Natasha had brought to everyone’s tiny glass until Steve stuck his hand out over his. 

“I think that’s plenty for me, I’d rather not drink in front of Daci.”

“I don’t mind, what does the drink do?” she asked as she watched her father drink from the tiny glass again. She smiled to herself as she watched his face change, scrunching up and licking his lips several times. “It looks like it tastes funny. Can I try some?”

“It’s alcohol cub, like being drugged but with liquid. And no, you can not,” her father said with a smile before wrapping his arms around her. She snuggled closer into his embrace and smiled when Thor tried to get Steve to drink more. 

“Yes, young one it is only for adults and most appropriate for times of celebration.” 

“I’m not drinking anymore, Thor,” Steve replied as she watched Clint reach around the other blonde to steal his drink. 

“Don’t bother with Stevie, he’s a wet blanket,” her favorite blonde quipped. 

“And a responsible parent,” Steve added with a glare, which broke when Daci laughed aloud - since her father had frozen mid grabbing another drink. She saw Steve shake his head fondly as her father finished his glass. 

"So Barnes, JARVIS told me you had a lady friend on your floor earlier," Tony said, causing Daci to stiffen. She noticed Clint's brows furrows while the blonde took another shot. 

"Wait, what? Really?" Steve asked his husband before turning to her father in shock. 

"It's not a big deal," her father grumbled, though she could feel his smile without even seeing him. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. 

"How did you even meet a woman?" Nat asked suspiciously, not appearing to be happy about the news either. 

"SHIELD," her father replied in a slightly quipped tone. 

"This the blonde?" Steve asked, stiffening Daci further when she realized her father had talked to Steve about the woman. She also turned and noticed Clint scowling and taking a few more drinks of the alcohol.

"Yeah, maybe someday I'll let you heathens meet her," her Tati said in a teasing tone. 

"Did Daci meet her?" Tony asked curiously, putting a frown on the girl's face. 

"Um...yeah," she replied, looking over at Clint and noticing he had a weird look on his face. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Thor began pouring more drinks.

"Another round friends! I can share stories from my homeland that will keep this celebration going," the demigod boomed, helping change the subject.

“I think I’m done drinking,” Bruce said as Thor tried to pour him another glass.

“Damn Banner, way to wear the pants for once,” Clint spoke up, voice slurred. 

“Bruce is already wearing pants?” Daci wondered quietly, but loud enough for the red head to snap her attention to her. Daci felt fear for the slightest moment before Natasha burst out laughing. Which got Clint laughing, which almost always made Daci feel good - especially when she saw Bruce smile at whatever it meant. Her father had shook a little around her, telling Daci he laughed a little too.

“Don’t listen to Clint. In fact, anything Clint says you can probably just ignore,” her Tati quipped, which Daci could recognize was playful and not serious. Especially since Clint immaturely stuck his tongue out at her father. 

"I think I'm going to call it a night, kiddos have dentist appointments tomorrow," Steve said before standing up and stretching his arms above his head. "You coming sweetheart?"

"Actually, I'm going to head down to the lab for a bit," Tony replied. "Congrats again Barnes," the genius sent her father a wave before leaving the others. She noticed Steve had a frown on his face but he smiled when he turned to the others and waved farewell as well, heading off to their bedroom. 

There was a little bit of tension in the air when the couple left, but then Clint fell out of his chair and everyone laughed at the silly man. Daci felt a yawn overtake her which caused her father to yawn as well. 

"We should head out as well, thanks for the congratulatory drinks everyone," her Tati said as he gently pushed her off his lap in order to stand up. 

"I look forward to fighting alongside you in battle! Sleep well my friends," Thor boomed out before taking another drink. She and her father waved at the others as they exit and she couldn't help but smile when Clint was waving back at her.

* * *

The Avengers alarm sounded three days after her father passed his evaluation. Everyone was on their respective floors but quickly moved to Steve and Tony’s after the genius asked his AI to shut off the alarm. Daci and her Tati were already in their living room, having brought the Stark family breakfast after they’d cooked so often for them. 

“Are you going?” Daci asked her father. She wouldn’t mind him going, especially since Harley had been clingy with Tony all morning. 

“Um, I don’t know…”

“Daddy no!” Harley cried before tightening his hold around his father and suddenly bursting into tears. 

“Baby boy we talked about this,” Tony said before whispering the rest of the conversation with his son. Her father had gently grabbed her wrist, turning her attention towards him. 

“ _Nu ma duc daca ai nevoie de mine aici,_ ” he whispered to her, instantly putting a smile on her face. { _I won’t go if you don’t want me to_ }

“ _Voi fi bine_ ,” she whispered back, squeezing his wrist twice. “Go kick butt.” { _I’ll be okay_ } 

“Oh man you and Clint are no longer allowed to hang out together.”

“What?!”

“What?” Both Clint and Daci exclaimed at the same time, eliciting a laugh out of everyone in the room, except her father. 

He was too busy trying to keep a straight face, and the five year old suddenly noticed how fondly he was looking at both her _and_ Clint. 

An idea started to roll in her head, but before she could think further her father was hugging her and kissing her on the top of her head before following the others towards the elevator. 

“I’ll come back as soon as possible,” Steve said to Tony in an apologetic voice. The brunette glared at the blonde before using the hand that wasn’t holding Harley to pull his husband’s shirt towards him before kissing him harshly. 

Daci did not understand why adults wanted to kiss. That looked painful. 

“Come back to me in one piece,” Tony growled at his husband before Steve nodded back at him with a smile before following the others. 

“Be good!” her father called out before they left, putting a smile on Daci’s face. It dropped when she noticed how stressed Tony looked now that the others were gone. Harley was still wrapped tightly around him and Morgan was starting to move from her spot next to Peter towards Tony - she decided she would do her best to help him.

“Tony? Could we have a movie marathon until they get back?” she asked the genius who looked relieved at the idea. 

“You know what? That sounds amazing. Who wants a Disney movie marathon?” Tony asked his kids and sighed in relief as they all cheered happily. Well...Harley still clung to the man but turned his head to face the others with a small smile. 

Tony moved to start cleaning up the hand-made beignets when Daci realized this was a situation she could help him with. 

“I’ll get that Tony, why don’t you sit with Harley?” Daci offered as she began picking up the plates, seeing the reluctant look on his face. It changed when Morgan grabbed his pajama pants and raised her arms. 

“Thank you Daci, remind me to give you chocolate later.” 

“What? I want chocolate! Daci let me help,” Peter said, suddenly up off the ground and grabbing empty mugs. Tony just laughed as he sat on the couch, balancing both babies on his lap while Daci finished collecting all the dirty napkins and empty plates. “I can take those if you want,” Peter said, suddenly appearing by her side and genuinely startling her. 

She looked at the boy for a moment before carefully handing him what she had gathered, watching with a curious expression as Peter scurried back to the kitchen. 

“That boy loves his chocolate…” Tony said with a smile as Daci turned to join him on the couch. 

“Is Harley okay?” she asked with a smile when Morgan turned to crawl towards her. The toddler was still clinging to his father as the baby curled up next to Daci. 

“Yeah he’s just being a clingy leach today.” Daci wrapped her arms around Morgan as a thought popped into her head. 

“Harley, did you have a bad dream about your Daddy?” she asked the toddler, face breaking into a smile when both Tony and Harley turned to her in surprise. “Sometimes when I have a bad dream about my Tati, I don’t want him out of my sight for a while. Make sure he’s safe.” Her focus was on Harley but she could see Tony smile out of the corner of her eye. 

“Baby boy is that what this is about? You had a bad dream about your Daddy?” Tony cooed to the toddler who nodded his head yes while rubbing his face in Tony’s chest. Peter reappeared and joined the others on the couch, sitting on Tony’s other side and cuddling close to his brother. 

“S’okay Harley, Daddy is safe with us. He’s not going anywhere,” Peter reassured his sibling while Tony shifted a little. 

“Uh, actually, I do need to use the bathroom…” Tony said with a chuckle. 

“Come on Harley, sit with me till Daddy gets back and then we’ll watch Disney movies!” Peter said as he gently pulled his little brother onto his lap. Tony was able to get up and smiled at the group before making his escape, coming back a few minutes later. 

“Alright kiddos, what should we start with?” Tony asked as he returned with blankets draping them over the other kids before settling himself down in his previous spot. 

“Aladdin!” Harley said, in a much better mood but still climbing into Tony’s lap. 

“Sounds good,” Tony said, pulling Peter into one side and reaching his arm out to Daci with the other. She smiled back at him, pulling Morgan along with her to cuddle against Tony’s other side. 

It wasn’t until after they had dinner when JARVIS alerted them of the Avengers’ return.

“ _Sir, the Avengers are returning. Zero injuries reported however they asked me to inform you code Jolly Green Giant is currently activated.”_

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Tony pouted at the ceiling as Daci helped him finish cleaning the kitchen. 

“Is everything okay Tony?” she asked him in concern, following him to the living room. 

“Yeah, we just gotta head down to the gym.” Daci watched him curiously as he lifted Morgan into his arms and grabbed Harley’s hand, leading everyone to the elevator. 

“Why are we going to the gym floor Daddy?” Peter asked. 

“We’ve got a code Jolly Green Giant.”

“Really?!” Peter exclaimed in excitement, further confusing Daci as she watched the boy jump up and down in the elevator. 

“What’s a code Jolly Green Giant?” Daci asked as the doors to the elevator opened, a loud roar answering her question. The rest of the Avengers were splayed out across the mats, seemingly exhausted and still in uniform while Hulk - who she hadn’t met yet - was rumbling around. 

“Hulk!” Peter cried in excitement before taking off towards the green giant, Harley toddling on after him. She stood there in shock when she felt Tony gently pat her shoulder. 

“Jolly Green Giant means Hulk isn’t ready to turn back to Bruce yet, so we come and play with him until he tires out.” She still stood frozen as Tony walked past him to Steve, who was laying down and smiled when he saw his husband. 

“Cub?” she heard, snapping her out of her it and turning towards her father. He was sitting on the mat, looking tired but happy and reached an arm out towards her in invitation. She smiled back at him before giving him a hug, sitting with him and staring at the giant in wonder. 

“ _So that’s Hulk?_ ” she whispered to him, watching as Hulk gently picked up Harley and chased Peter around. 

“He’s very nice, do you want to play with them? You could probably tire him out quicker, he wouldn’t be able to catch you.” That had a smile spread across her face as she looked at her father before standing up and walking towards the ‘jolly green giant.’ 

“Daci! Have you met Hulk yet? Hulk, this is Daci, she’s Uncle Bucky’s daughter!” Peter cried in excitement, running over to Daci and grabbing her hand before bringing her back to the Hulk. She was so momentarily shocked from being in the presence of a giant she didn’t care that Peter had grabbed her hand. 

She was standing in front of a giant. 

And she thought Thor was huge. 

“H-hi,” Daci said. 

“Hi,” Hulk rumbled quietly, much different than the roars she heard when she first entered. 

“Hulk! Buddy aren’t you tired yet?” Clint called out, laying across Natasha as she carded her fingers through his hair.

“NO TIRED!” Hulk cried with a pout, which Daci didn’t know he was capable of, and let out a laugh. 

“Do you wanna try and catch me? I’m pretty fast,” she offered, feeling more confident around him. She had been lazing with the others watching movies all day - she could probably use this too. 

“I’ve seen it, she’s fast. Maybe even too fast for you Hulk,” Clint teased.

“I’ll count you guys down!” Peter offered as Daci stretched her limbs out. Hulk was practically bouncing in excitement, but had a smirk on his face. 

“GIVE LITTLE GIRL HEAD START,” Hulk rumbled, huffing at Steve in retaliation. 

“Fine by me,” Daci said, feeling her competitiveness come out as she turned to Peter. “Count us down Pete.”

“Okay, Daci gets three extra seconds. Daci, ready? Set? Go!” Peter yelled before she took off, distantly hearing him begin counting down from three again as she had hightailed it to the other side of the floor. 

But she could clearly hear the cheers from everyone else, reaching the other side and turning around to face the Hulk while bouncing back and forth on her feet. She could only smile at the shocked far away look on his face. He shook his big head before taking off after her, roaring loudly in excitement. 

She felt her heart race, calculating Hulk’s movement before dodging out of the way at the last second, taking off towards the obstacle course area. The cheers increased, as did Hulk’s roars as she heard him run after her. 

Using his height to her advantage, she weaved throughout the course, laughing at his frustrated noises when she kept just out of reach. 

“Go Daci!” she heard her father cheer, smiling when a few others also cheered her on. She quickly left the obstacle course to head to the jungle gym. After evading him there, she continued running from one side of the gym to the other. 

Hulk tired out quickly after that, stumbling after her and eventually making his way back to the group, plopping down in defeat.

“It’s alright buddy, she didn’t just save a city from mutant frogs,” Steve said in sympathy while he stood up, patting the giant on his shoulder with a sleepy Morgan in his arms. “Nice job Daci. That was the fastest end to a JGG code we’ve ever had.”

“Yeah Daci, way to kick his grumpy butt,” Clint said as he offered her a high five, which she gratefully matched. 

“Alright, that’s enough teasing the big guy. I can handle it from here. Goodnight everyone,” Natasha said, shooing the others away but without any anger in her voice. She made eye contact with Daci as the child followed the others out, offering Daci a smile that she easily returned. 

She grabbed her father’s hand as she joined the others in the elevator, wondering when she'd get to hang out with Hulk again. 


	9. Chapter 9

“ _Sir, your husband is wondering when you’ll be retiring to bed.”_

“Tell him I’ll be up in a few, Jay.”

_“You wish for me to lie to your husband, Sir?”_

“Zip it or I’ll recode the sass out of you,” Tony threatened, too busy working on his calculation for an armor upgrade to put any real threat into it.

“ _Very good, Sir.”_

The genius only rolled his eyes at his AI’s response, not worried about anything other than perfecting this idea of nano-technology. So far he’s been able to make a pulsar glove out of a wristwatch, which he considered a successful start. 

But he had bigger plans. 

Some time later he was beginning to nod off and decided now was a good stopping point, checking the time to see it was a little after five am. Normally he would just down a pot of coffee and continue, but he had a meeting at seven that Pepper had threatened castration over should he miss it. 

And he never wanted to find out if she was ever actually serious about that particular threat.

Early on in their friendship they tried dating, and she threatened to shave his goatee while he slept if he didn’t show up to a party on time. She went through with it...and they didn’t last much longer than that. 

Thinking of Pepper made him think of Steve, who he loved more than anything in the world. Has loved him since he was a kid and idolized the hero. He remembers the shock when Steve asked him to marry him, disbelief in his heart that the ‘merchant of death’ would ever deserve such a man. 

Well, apparently he didn’t. 

Since Steve was a good guy, he wouldn’t leave Tony after getting the three kids thrown into the mix. He’d stay with Tony even if he had second thoughts about him. 

Speaking of the devil, the blonde was opening the door to the bedroom as Tony reached for the handle. Steve was dressed in a t-shirt just a little too small for his broad chest and sweatpants. And if it wasn’t for the murderous look on his face, he would’ve been turned on by the sight. 

“You’re just now going to bed?” his husband asked with a disappointed tone. Sometimes Tony would crash on the couch down in his workshop, but his bed was more comfortable.

“Meeting at seven, Pepper threatened castration,” the brunette mumbled as he pushed Steve out of the way of the door frame so he could enter the room. He made a beeline for the bed and ignored his husband’s huff of disapproval in favor of collapsing onto the twenty thousand dollar bed. 

“Right, well, I’m off for a run,” Steve said in a clipped tone. “I need you back to watch the boys by noon, Morgan’s got a doctor’s appointment at twelve thirty to update her shots.” Tony mumbled what he thought was a confirmation, but he was drifting off to sleep, barely hearing Steve ask JARVIS to remind him of the appointment. 

It’s not that he forgot, it’s just the meeting ran a little late so he wasn’t home until twelve fifteen. Which, in Tony’s book, is still a decent time. 

Clearly, it wasn’t in Steve’s.

“Seriously Tony? You make sure you’re on time for Pepper but can’t do the same for me?” Steve asked when he stepped onto their floor, holding a sleepy Morgan in his arms and looking thoroughly pissed. Tony opened his mouth to answer but was confused when Daci rounded the corner. Steve followed his line of sight before rolling his eyes heavily. “Buck’s out with his new girlfriend, kids already ate lunch and we’ll be back in an hour or so,” the blonde said without looking at his husband, taking Morgan with him to the elevator in a bit of a huff. 

Alright, Tony deserved a little bit of that since he’d been snippy with Steve, but it was also kind of proving the theory that the brunette had developed in his head. 

Steve...might...secretly want out. 

His negative thoughts were put on hold when he heard a cry from the living room, running and halting in his steps when he saw his boys laughing and chasing each other. Daci was sitting on the floor, watching them with a smile on her face. Before he could make his presence known, Harley caught his eye and screeched his name out in excitement. 

“Daddy!” the toddler cried as he ran towards the genius, who gladly picked the boy up into his arms before planting several kisses on his face. 

“Hey Daddy! How was work?” Peter asked, coming over to give Tony a hug of his own. 

“Boring,” said with an exaggerated sigh Tony to make the kids laugh, though he wasn’t lying about the ‘boring’ part of budget meetings. He put Harley back on the ground before making his way over to sit by Daci, who looked zoned out. “Hey kiddo, you alright?”

She looked up at him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. 

“He’s out with his new girlfriend, huh?” That apparently was the wrong question, as her tiny body stiffened next to him. _Huh,_ he thought to himself, _might need to follow up on that._

Before he could ask her any investigating questions, they heard the elevator ding. Which was only unusual in a house full of super heroes because they normally told JARVIS to give the Stark family a heads up first. 

So who was…?

“Where are my favorite nephews?” Tony’s oldest friend in the world asked as he made his way into view, arms full of presents for the kids. 

“Honeybear?” Tony asked, getting up and following his boys to hug the man. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in New York? And how long do we have you for?”

“You got me for a week and I wanted to surprise you guys! Plus Pepper said if you weren’t focused at the meeting she’d hold me responsible and...you know,” Rhodey said with raised brows, nice enough to not talk about ball-chopping-off in front of the kids. 

“Uncle Rhodey what’d you bring us?” Peter asked excitedly, jumping up and down in front of his favorite uncle. Harley was already rifling through the bags, pulling out a stuffed narwhal. 

“Toys of course! But leave the stuffed octopus, that’s for Morgan. Oh, who’s this?” Rhodey asked as he made his way over to sit on one of the couches. Daci looked skeptically back and forth between Tony and Rhodey, so the genius went back to sit in his original position. 

“Daci, this is my oldest friend in the whole wide world, platypus. Platypus, this is Daci. She and her father moved into the tower recently.”

“Platypus?” Daci asked in confusion, which got an eye roll out of his friend. 

“My name is James Rhodes, but everyone calls me Rhodey or Jim. Except for this unfunny child,” Rhodey said, shooting a smirk Tony’s way that he maturely returned with an outstretched tongue. “It’s nice to meet you Daci. I take it your father’s a new Avenger Anthony just so happened to forget to mention?” She nodded silently before giving Tony a confused look.

“Tony is technically short for Anthony and you would know if you’d join the team!” Tony whined at his best friend who only gave him an unimpressed look back at him. “How about I tell you over a cup of coffee?” he offered while standing up, knowing he needed one as well as the kids would be occupied with the toys for a bit. 

“Daci feel free to pick out a toy that isn’t claimed yet,” Rhodey offered the girl, warming Tony’s heart at his generous friend. 

“Oh Daci what about this one?” Peter asked her, offering her a bow and arrow set - where the arrows have suction cups but wasn’t flimsy like most kid toys. The last thing he saw before making his way to the kitchen was her eyes lighting up brighter than he’d ever seen. 

Which could be an issue, but he’ll leave that to Barnes to deal with. 

Little payback for ditching his kid for his new girlfriend. 

“So, I don’t remember seeing anyone new on the news. Who’s the mystery guy? A mutant?” Rhodey asked with his arms crossed and leaning back against the counter. 

“Ever heard of the Winter Soldier?” Tony asked, pulling out espresso to make them lattes when he heard Rhodey sputter next to him. 

“You can’t be serious. That’s a real dude? I literally thought he was a ghost story made up by HYDRA. He’s like, mortal and everything?” 

“Oh, it gets crazier. He’s Steve’s friend,” Tony said, clarifying when Rhodey didn’t look impressed. “From **before** the ice.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

“So that’s...complicated. And there’s a kid involved?”

“His clone he rescued from HYDRA.”

“Holy **shit**.” 

“Yeah,” Tony said eloquently, grabbing two mugs. 

“So...how are you holding up?” Tony was startled by the question and nearly poured scalding hot milk on himself. 

“I’m...fine Sourpatch. How have you been?” he asked as he finished with the two lattes, handing the one without vanilla to Rhodey. The Lieutenant Colonel just stared at him, not grabbing his cup while Tony gladly inhaled half of his own. “What?”

“I’ve known you since you were fourteen and had braces and acne. I know when you’re lying to me.” Tony couldn’t help but glare at his best friend, because it almost seemed like…

“Bruce told you, didn’t he?” the genius asked, remembering the conversation he had with his favorite scientist about his husband. He got his answer when Rhodey just chuckled. 

“Hey, I would’ve guessed it when your husband came home and you acted funny with him. This way, we save time and cut past your bullshit,” Sourpatch said before taking what looked like a victory sip from his mug. 

“Last time I confide in that son of a bitch,” Tony muttered half-heartedly, finishing his drink and moving to make himself another one. 

“He didn’t give me details, just that you’re being dumb and it has to do with Steve.” 

“I...goddammit. Fine. I overheard him talking to Bucky about having second thoughts about our marriage.”

“Ah, so you eavesdropped on a piece of a conversation and twisted what your husband said to mean he’s leaving you?” Tony’s jaw dropped. It literally dropped. 

“You didn’t hear what he said! JARVIS-”

_“-Sir I should inform you that Captain Rogers is on his way up with Young Miss Morgan.”_

“I...we’ll save it for another time and I swear if you say anything to Steve I’ll-”

“-woah, woah! I would never meddle in your marriage. Just observe from the outside and call you things like ‘dumbass’ and ‘man-child.’” Tony only glared at Rhodey as he heard the sounds of his family greeting each other, following his friend who led the way back to the living room. 

Morgan was holding what little was left of her ice cream cone, adorably covered in chocolate and sprinkles in Steve’s arms - which were also covered in chocolate. 

“Unca Ro!” Morgan shouted in excitement, reaching out to her uncle with sticky fingers. Tony shared a look with Steve, surprised at the smile and wink his husband threw at him. Which was weird, cause wasn’t he mad at him the last time they saw each other? 

“Hey Jim, good to see you,” Steve said, attention turning to the grimacing man and handing over the sticky girl. He reluctantly took the girl, shooting both Steve and Tony a glare but greeting his niece regardless. “Babe, do you mind helping me wash this off?” the blonde asked as the genius decided to roll with it, abandoning his friend in favor of (if nothing else) the chance to rub his husband’s arms. They walked to the kitchen and Steve’s demeanor didn’t change, still happy and almost playful. 

“So...I’m probably putting my foot in my mouth, but weren’t you mad at me?” Tony asked cause he couldn’t keep his big mouth shut. It helped that he was currently lathering up strong muscle. 

“Yeah, I wanted to apologize about that.” Tony would blame it on the soap, but he slipped into the sink from that statement. Which his husband wisely kept silent about, though a smile was apparent on his face. “I was actually upset that Bucky has started ditching his kid. I took it out on you and I’m sorry about that. In a lifetime, fifteen minutes isn’t that big of a deal.”

“Wow...you know Pepper also threatens me with castration. You’d never do that, you like them too much,” Tony smirked, glad to see his husband shake his head fondly. He grabbed a hand towel for Steve to dry off on before continuing. “Also the meeting ran long, I promise I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“I know I just…”

“Is that the only thing that’s bothering you?” Tony asked anxiously, because **he couldn’t keep his big mouth shut**. They suddenly heard screams from the living room, but figured Rhodey would call out of them if he couldn’t handle it.

“Well...honestly parenting is hard and sometimes...it feels like I need a break, you know?” Tony froze in his tracks, fear shooting up his spine and paralyzing him. A break, he wanted a break. 

“You...want a break?”

“Just like a weekend or something, not long. Just a few days to recharge. In fact,” Steve paused, turning to Tony with a gleam in his eye. “We should go away this weekend, to your private island. It’s our anniversary after all.” 

“Oh my god, shit I-” Tony said before he was interrupted, wondering if maybe he had been twisting it in his head. 

“-no don’t. Everything’s fine, life has been hectic and I only just remembered yesterday,” Steve quickly said in reassurance, walking over to Tony and gently placing his hands on the genius’ cheeks. “Let’s just agree to make it up to each other on your private beach. And the swing. And in the hot tub,” the blonde said, which got Tony laughing, cut off when his husband kissed him. Warmth flooded through his veins and made him forget all about Steve’s conversation. 

“Sounds...lovely,” Tony breathed out, a little dizzy from the kiss. And several shots of espresso he just consumed. 

“Plus this will serve as payback for those ‘toys’ in there,” Steve added with a smug grin as he pulled back, grabbing some wipes before making his way back to the kids. Tony followed, still in somewhat of a daze as he watched Steve help clean both Rhodey and Morgan.

“So I bring my nieces and nephews presents and you pay me back with a sticky gremlin? I see how it is…” Rhodey teased as he handed Morgan back to Steve. “Don’t go asking me for favors anytime soon.”

“Um, actually...Honeybear, about that.” Tony said with a blush, walking over to Harley who was assembling some too-big-to-swallow legos. “Think you could watch them this weekend?” His oldest friend glared back at the genius with his hands on his hips. He opened his mouth to respond when they heard a surprise gasp coming from his eldest. 

“A whole Uncle Rhodey Adventure Weekend?!” Peter gasped in excitement, hands coming up to his face like Kevin in Home Alone. And didn’t that just seal the deal…sure enough Rhodey had a smile on his face as he caught the child who ran for a hug. 

“That’s right Petey! A whole weekend with fun Uncle Rhodey! Who brings weapons as toys whenever he comes over…” Steve said with a smug smile as he walked around to sit on the couch with Morgan in his lap. 

“These aren’t weapons…” Daci said quietly, shooting a tiny arrow for emphasis and sticking it dead center on the plasma tv. 

“Nice shot Katniss,” Tony said to the girl, who pinched her face back at him. “She...is a fictional character who shoots bow and arrows really well. Like how I sometimes call Clint ‘Legolas’,” Tony said with a wave of his hands. 

“Where are you and Daddy going, Papa?” Peter asked after climbing off Rhodey and running over to sit in Tony’s lap. 

“Well, one year ago this weekend, Daddy and I got married. So we’re going to have private just Papa and Daddy time to celebrate, okay?” Steve responded gently, knowing how Peter can be. 

“Okay,” Peter said with a shrug of his shoulders, focusing his attention on the legos. 

“Could I...go show Clint this?” Daci asked to no one in particular, working on retrieving the various arrows. Tony looked over at Steve, who smiled and shrugged back at the man. 

“Let’s see what he’s doing first. J, what’s Barton up to?” Tony asked his AI, since the archer was most likely asleep. It was after noon after all. 

_“Agent Barton is drinking coffee in his living room. Shall I ask if he’d like company?”_

“Yes please,” Daci answered, putting a bigger smile on the billionaire’s face. 

_“Agent Barton replied ‘heck yes’ to Young Miss Daci’s proposal, but with profanity I do not find suitable for children.”_

“Alright, head down to Clint’s floor, Daci. Come back when you get tired of him,” Tony said to the girl with a smile, watching her run towards the elevator. 

“You know, I haven’t technically said yes,” Rhodey said after a moment, though Tony could see a smile on the man’s face. 

“I’ll throw in Steve’s blueberry and peach cobbler,” Tony said to Rhodey with a smile, enjoying the playful scoff from his husband. He also sent his oldest friend a meaningful look, considering the conversation they had earlier. 

“Alright fine, twist my arm why don’t you?”

“Papa look! Check out my Wonder Woman toy Uncle Rhodey brought! And Morgan has a new stuffed animal,” Peter said excitedly, climbing out of Tony’s lap to run over to Steve. They spent the next hour going through all the toys and taking away the foam axes - Steve’s rule, unfortunately. 

“You wanna stay for dinner, Jim? We’re making tacos,” Steve said when he noticed the time. It was a little past five in the afternoon and Tony suddenly wondered where Barnes was. 

“I’ve actually got a date tonight, and no I’m not giving you any details,” Sourpatch said to Tony pointedly. “But I look forward to the cobbler when I come back tomorrow,” Rhodey said with a smile, standing up and stretching out. Tony stood up to walk him out, smiling when his family wished him farewell before walking the taller man to the elevator. 

“Thanks for doing this, Platypus. Now go get laid,” Tony said after giving him a hug, letting out a huff when his oldest friend shoved him back before getting on the elevator. The genius couldn’t help but stick his tongue out at his best friend who gave him the finger as the doors closed. 

“Daddy!” he heard Harley call as he quickly went back to the living room.

“Yes baby boy?” Tony asked as he rounded the corner, smiling at the scene before him. All three babies were snuggled up with Steve on the couch, his husband extending an arm out in invitation. 

“Come watch movies, Daddy!” Harley said again, breaking Tony out of his stupor as he joined his family for some snuggle-movie time. His middle child climbed onto his lap while his husband wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close. They had chosen The Lion King and Tony only knew because of the sounds of the opening credits, since his eyes were closed. He didn’t even realize he’d fallen asleep until a noisy commotion woke him up. As he slowly opened his eyes, he found the cause of the commotion. 

Barnes was back, and looked completely different. 

“You cut your hair off?” Tony asked in amazement, sitting up as his kids greeted the man loudly. 

“His girlfriend made him do it,” Steve answered with a huff, confusing the genius a little. They hadn’t even met the woman yet, and other than taking some time away from his daughter, he wasn’t sure why Steve was so against their union. Bucky didn’t seem to notice, however, just a bashful smile as he ran his hand through his short hair. 

“I like it, less maintenance,” Barnes said with a blush and a shoulder shrug. “Where’s my kid?”

“Hanging out with Barton, she’s probably mastered the bow and arrow by now,” Tony answered with a yawn, stretching his limbs out and thoroughly enjoying the angry look on the terminator's face. 

“Seriously? JARVIS can you ask Daci to come up here, please?”

“I’m going to start on dinner,” Steve said and made his way to the kitchen with Peter following him. 

“I’ll help you Papa!”

The doors to the elevator opened and Tony watched as Daci rushed in to join them in the living room, coming to a halt when she saw her father. 

“Tati?” the girl asked in confusion, not jumping into his outstretched arms. 

“Yeah, cub. It’s me,” Barnes said, lowering his arms and squatting down as the girl slowly approached him. 

“Where’d your hair go?” she asked, hesitantly reaching her hand out to touch his short hair. Tony couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched their interactions. 

“I got it cut off, do you like it?” Daci didn’t reply for a moment, taking a step back before frowning. 

“We don’t match anymore,” the child said with a sigh, that the super soldier didn’t seem to notice. 

“We don’t have to match, cub. Vivienne said I’d look better with shorter hair and I agreed,” Barnes said with a bright smile, kissing the girl’s head before standing up. _And, okay, a few red flags there…_ “Now what’s this I hear about you and Clint and a bow and arrow?” At that Daci’s eyes lit up, and as she began giving her father a play by play of her day - Tony decided that was an opportune time to excuse himself to the kitchen. 

Maybe have a word about possible red flags with his husband. 

* * *

Leaving the three stooges for a weekend was a lot harder than he thought it’d be. After several tearful goodbyes, it was Steve who eventually pulled Tony away to head to the jet. And if anyone asked, it was one hundred percent saying goodbye to his babies and not the anxiety of spending a weekend alone with Steve that made the genius quieter than normal. 

“You wanna take a quick nap? JARVIS said the flight is only an hour and a half,” Steve offered as he put their luggage away, coming over to sit next to Tony. Before he could answer a yawn took him over, getting a chuckle from his husband. Plus it was just a perfect excuse to procrastinate having the dreaded talk. He woke up in his second favorite way, gentle kisses over his face and neck. 

His first was a blow job, but he’d take kisses too. 

“Hey sweetheart, we’re here,” Steve said with a smile, standing in front of the genius with their luggage in his hands. “Come on, I want to change and hit the beach.” That got Tony moving, helping Steve with the luggage to his private beach house. He changed into gold booty shorts, laughing when he saw his husband put on a blue speedo before the two raced each other to the waves. 

And then, well, then it was easy to forget whatever it was that was bothering him. He was just here and now, jumping and laughing in the waves with his husband. His sexy, gorgeous husband who lifted Tony out of the water only to bring him down to kiss him. After they had their fill of splashing each other, they walked out of the water hand in hand. That is, until Steve let go in favor of tickling him. Tony tried to wiggle away from his husband's hold, but Steve had him wrapped tight.

“Hey,” Tony squawked indignantly, wiggling his body to free his pinned arms. “Unhand me you brute!” Wrong choice of words, if Steve’s suddenly predatory grin was anything to go by. 

“Brute, huh?” Steve asked before doing two things in rapid succession. Spinning him around and throwing Tony over his shoulder. The shriek that followed couldn’t have been from him, it was so high pitched, that the genius blamed it on a seagull as he tried to maintain balance. 

“Steven!” Tony cried out as the man ignored him in favor of walking back to the house. The brunette retaliated in kind by smacking the blonde’s ass, which only got him one in return. “Put me down you caveman!” he tried again, though the laughter was clear in his voice. 

“You say Steve brute. Steve carry mate back to house,” the blonde said in what Tony presumed to be a ‘caveman voice’. 

“Don’t start something you don’t want to finish. Otherwise I’ll expect you to carry me everywhere and have your way with me whenever you want.” The statement had Steve stopping abruptly on the footsteps of the beach house, causing Tony to laugh loudly. He gently slid off Steve as his husband lowered him to the ground in front of the door. 

“Is that really all it would take?” Steve asked, pupils already a little dilated with lust. Tony couldn’t help laughing again, pushing the man a little out of his personal space before turning to step inside. He heard Steve close the door behind them and immediately felt hands around his waist. “Because I would happily oblige carrying you everywhere if that was the payment.”

Tony only chuckled some more, feeling a very excited super soldier press against him. 

“I’m not so sure my body could take it.”

“You’re a man of science, shouldn’t we at least test that hypothesis first?” his husband growled into his ear, before spinning Tony around and kissing him fiercely. 

“Well then, carry me to bed soldier,” Tony whispered, lifted up into the air the second that he finished his sentence, laughing as Steve raced the two to the bedroom. 

After two vigorous rounds, Tony lay panting while Steve left to get a towel to clean them up. He took his time coming back to himself, feeling loose limbed and fuzzy in the best way possible. Steve came back and gently wiped the remnants off his body. 

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Tony had heard that a million times in his life from a million different people. But for some reason, he only blushed when Steve said it. 

“You’re not so bad yourself, hot stuff,” the genius replied, lazily watching his husband. The blonde had thrown the towel haphazardly and was currently raking the brunette’s body with his eyes. “Um, not sure I have any energy to go for round three…”

Steve didn’t reply for a moment, a soft smile on his face as he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Tony’s lips. “Not proposing, just admiring the man I love.” He kissed Tony again. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

He’d just had sex with the most gorgeous creature on the planet - twice - so of course he was a little...emotionally fragile. So he was allowed to have tears spring from his eyes. It had nothing to do with his stupid insecure brain. 

“Me too,” Tony chokes out, more emotionally fragile than he realized. He hears Steve make a noise of confusion above him, vision too blurry to see his face. 

“Doll?” Okay, that cheesy endearment could probably be attributed to his insecure brain, as he only responded by wrapping his arms around his husband and hugging him tightly. Steve quickly returned the hug, maneuvering the two so they were on their sides facing each other, still intertwined. “What’s wrong? I know you’ve been keeping something from me these last few weeks…” Tony only hid his face in the crook of Steve’s neck, hating and loving his husband for seeing right through him. 

He stayed there, nestled in his love’s strong arms, debating with himself whether or not to tell the truth. 

“Please?” Steve added, kissing Tony’s neck with feather light kisses before pulling away to pepper some on his hair. “I’ll throw in a trip to the kitchen to get you coffee and chocolate…” that crafty bastard proposed, knowing Tony’s weaknesses. The genius couldn’t help but smile, wiping his eyes and nodding yes. 

The next thing he knew, his husband had unwrapped from his arms and was out the door, leaving Tony in a giggly mess. 

_Fuck,_ Tony thought to himself with a smile, **_he_ ** _was the real lucky one_. And he had that thought on loop as he waited the few minutes it took for Steve to bring two fresh brewed lattes and assorted chocolates. The smell helped perk him up, shifting to a sitting position and extending his hands out to accept the drink. 

After several gulps and a few chocolate pieces, he turned to the man who had been waiting patiently. And now that he was here, on a beach with his husband celebrating their one year anniversary...the whole thing seemed kind of silly. So he decided to start with that. 

“It’s silly.”

“Doesn’t matter. Tell me what’s been bothering that big brain of yours,” Steve reassured before he popped some chocolate in his mouth, momentarily distracting the genius. 

“I...um...maybe I’d be up for round three if you ate more chocolate. There’s a little on your finger, maybe you should lick that off…” And Tony watched in amazement as his husband put the finger in his mouth before pulling away at the last second. 

“Talk to me first, then you can have your wicked way with me.” The genius could only scoff at that, disappointed his deflection didn’t work. 

“Steve it’s really stupid-”

“-Tony, something is bothering you. Just tell me so we can move on and enjoy our weekend together.” And because he was a coward, Tony ate another piece of chocolate and finished the rest of his coffee before he turned to face the man who deserves an explanation. 

“I...I heard the conversation with you and Barnes.”

“...which conversation?” 

“It was after a mission, you made him hot chocolate?”

“Oh yeah, that conversation. What...wait how would talking about his now girlfriend upset you?”

“You said...fuck see this is why I shouldn’t have brought it up-”

“-Sweetheart, focus. What specifically did I say?”

“You...you said you had second thoughts. About all of this,” Tony finally spit out, waving his arms for emphasis. 

“Okay I think I remember that...but what-”

“-you said you had second thoughts about being married, having kids, being an Avenger - all of that!” Steve just looked at him with a quirked brow.

“Tony, come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t had second thoughts about choices in your life - no matter how fleeting they are-”

“-Yeah but none of them were about you!” Tony snapped back, worry and anger battling it out in his stomach. Because of course Tony has had second thoughts about things, but Steve was never one of them. And knowing it wasn’t reciprocated…

“Tony...none of mine were about you either…” The worry shifted to full anger as he looked incredulously back at his husband. 

“You said you had second thoughts about our marriage, Steven! I’m pretty sure that includes me-”

“-No stop, Tony. I literally said _being_ married. As in, **my ability** to be a good husband, in marriage. I remember that night, I remember what I said. I listed every big decision about my life that I’ve second-guessed... **but** **you**.” The genius absorbed those words...looking at his husband who looked devastated back at him. “Sweetheart you...you really think I’ve ever had second thoughts about you?”

“I…” Tony said in shock, words caught in his throat. He closed his eyes and hung his head, tears spilling down his cheeks when gentle hands brought his face back up. 

“ _Tony_ ,” Steve said softly, matching mist in his eyes. “You...fuck’s sake it’s our anniversary and you’re sitting here thinking…” 

And okay wait, maybe Tony had misheard. And his least favorite thing in this entire world were unhappy tears in Steve’s beautiful blue eyes. Even if he loved when he cursed, he didn’t like it when it was in anger or sadness. The knot in Tony’s stomach tightened. 

“S-Steve,” Tony hiccuped, unable to say anything else when his husband smacked their mouths together in a harsh kiss. The brunette could only hold on tight, melting into a puddle.

“Tony,” Steve said in a more confident voice, pulling back and looking deep into Tony’s eyes, hands still gently cupping his face. “You are the one thing in my almost one hundred years of making decisions that I have never second guessed. You...baby you gave me a home. You were one of the first faces I saw in this century...and you helped me acclimate after being in the ice. I…” the blonde chuckled, which Tony thought offhandedly was one of his favorite sounds. “I have not done a good job of reminding you. And I’m sorry for that.”

“No, Steve, this is on me for misunderstanding. I just thought you wanted…” And here it was, even after Steve had just tried to reassure him...the doubt still lingered. 

“What did you think I want, Tony?” Steve asked in a low voice, making the genius refocus. 

“I thought maybe...you’d want an out…” Tony said slowly, too cowardly to look his husband in the eye. 

“Want an out?” Steve repeated back in a confused voice. 

“Like…” Tony tried to explain, secretly not wanting him to know that phrase. “Like an out from this marriage...from being a dad and a husband and an Avenger.” There. He did the adult thing and explained it, now if Steve would just - 

“That’s a fucked up term,” he said instead, catching the genius off guard to the point of breaking out in a laugh, overwhelmed from the roller coaster of emotions he just experienced. “So, let me see if I can get this straight,” Steve suddenly switched to a Brooklyn accent, which immediately froze the brunette. “Your genius brain heard a snippet of a conversation,” he continued while crawling towards the genius, gently pushing the smaller man back in order to climb on top of him and straddle his thighs, “and decided that instead of confronting your man about it, you would come to the conclusion that I secretly meant I wanted out of this family? Is that what your genius brain did?”

His tone was playful, but Tony could see the seriousness in his eyes. He could feel his words wash over him. 

He wasn’t lying before, he really was the lucky one. 

“Yes,” he finally admitted, quietly and with a pout. An exhausting sigh of relief left him. He took a moment to keep his eyes downcast before looking back up at the blonde. Who only wore a bright smile, beaming back down at him like he wasn’t secretly the biggest idiot in the world. 

“If I could do it all over again, land the plane safely...I would still choose to submerge it and be in a frozen coma for another seventy years. Because it would bring me to you, and I would choose that every time. You are the love of my life, you incredibly smart, wonderfully kind, beautiful bodied dumbass. And I look forward to spending the rest of our lives proving it to you, if you haven’t figured that out already.” 

And what the hell could Tony say to that? Nothing, is what he could say. Because the next instant he grabbed the sexy naked man by his face and brought him down to kiss him senseless. Goddamn, how Tony had gotten that completely wrong. 

_Why does Steve even put up with him?_

And because he was truly a stupid man at heart, he asked him. 

“Even when I pull stupid shit like this?” he asked when he pulled back, eyes focused on how puffy Steve’s lips were. 

“Especially when you pull stupid shit like this. Because you, Tony, you of all people deserve to be reminded how incredible you are. And I am just the man for that job,” his cheesy, dorky, wonderful husband practically purred above him, washing away the last of Tony’s worries. 

Because right now, right here. He had the sexiest man alive on top of him, on his private beach, reassuring Tony that he loved him and wanted to be with him. 

On their anniversary of the day they married. 

“We should uh…” Tony said, suddenly noticing how excited he was becoming below a writhing super soldier. “We should continue our anniversary.” Steve’s eyes comically dilated before him, curiosity on his face as he grinded down on the brunette’s growing erection. “I believe there was some mention of me having my wicked way with you?” 

And his beautiful, incredible husband nodded gleefully before reaching around for the covers frantically. 

Pulling back with a sparkle in his eyes, holding up the rest of the chocolate. 

Making Tony fall that much more in love with him.


	10. Chapter 10

“Come on cub, I went to one when I was little, I promise it will be fun!” her Tati tried convincing her for the third time. It didn’t matter how great seeing real animals sounded, she did not want to go to the zoo with Tati and...Vivienne. “Plus Vivienne pointed out how important it is for you to interact with animals, not just the stuffed ones,” he joked, nodding towards Wolf who was tucked into her arms. They were sitting on her bed in her room while Vivienne waited in the kitchen. 

“Tati...I don’t really want to-”

“-What if we see if the Starks wanna join us? I bet it’d be fun watching Steve and Tony wrangle those three in public.” And that was at least more enjoyable of an idea, so she nodded yes. 

“JARVIS, can you ask the Starks if they’re free to go to the zoo with us?”

_“Captain Rogers said Mister Stark is at a board meeting but if you and Vivienne offer to help with the kids, they could be ready in fifteen minutes.”_ Which made Daci both relieved and disappointed at the same time. 

“Tell him we’ll meet him on the first floor. Alright cub, you need to get dressed for being in public. And shoes are included in that.” Daci couldn’t help but frown, her father well aware how much she hated shoes. And since she had spent most of the last few months in the tower, she rarely wore them. 

Another reason not to like this trip. 

“Okay,” Daci said with a sigh, not enjoying the laugh it got from her father. 

“Don’t be dramatic, you’ll have lots of fun! Plus I checked ahead, and I know for a fact they have wolves…” That certainly piqued her interest, but she had one other idea to seal the deal. 

“Can Clint come too?”

“Oh, cub I’m sure he’s busy…”

“JARVIS is Clint busy?” 

“Daciana…”

_“Clint said he is available Sergeant Barnes, and will meet you all downstairs. I have also taken the liberty to inform Mr. Hogan to bring the BMW to accommodate all passengers.”_

“...great…”

“Great!” Daci replied enthusiastically, jumping up to change her clothes and put on her shoes. She knew her father didn’t like this idea, but she didn’t like the idea of Vivienne. So if he wanted her to spend time with Vivienne, it didn’t mean she had to be _alone_ with Vivienne. 

The woman apparently also didn’t like the news - if her flinch before her smile after finding out was anything to go by. 

Daci kept an eye on the woman, unless she was kissing or groping her father. Then she looked anywhere but. She had talked to Clint about it when he was showing her how to shoot her new toy bow. He said it was normal to be selfish about spending time with her father. He wouldn’t say the words, but she could tell he wasn’t a big fan of Vivienne either. 

When they got to the zoo, she helped Steve with the stroller before grabbing Clint’s hand. 

“Are we going to see your favorite animal Clint? Tati said they have wolves and those are my favorite.”

“Actually, my favorite are hawks. Part of where I got the nickname,” Clint replied with a smile, squeezing her hand and leading the group to get tickets. Once inside, she couldn’t help but stop in her tracks. 

“Daci? You alright?” Steve asked her, pushing the stroller to stand next to her. She was staring at the big animals to their right, behind a glass cage and using their long necks to eat from the tree tops. 

“Those are giraffes!” Peter said, following her line of sight and pointing to the tall creatures. 

“Giraffes?” she pronounced the word carefully, legs moving on their own as she approached the funny looking animal. 

“G’aff, g’aff!” Morgan called from the stroller, tiny hands reaching out towards the animal. 

“Giraffes normally live in Africa and they use their long necks to eat leaves up in the trees,” Clint explained, still at her side as she held up two hands against the glass. “They’re pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah,” she said quietly, a smile on her face. 

“Come on Daci! We got like a billion more animals to see!” Peter called as he pulled Steve along to the next exhibit. She looked back at her father and caught him in a quiet and smiley conversation with the woman. Daci turned back to Clint and saw him was also watching the two but with a sad face. So she grabbed Clint’s hand once more before leading the two after the Starks - who were making their way to some really big cats. 

Daci has only met one animal and that was a street cat. After her Tati rescued her from HYDRA, they had to be constantly vigilant. Always on the run. He had promised to show her the world and teach her about all the different kinds of life when they could finally settle. But on their journey she came across a street cat. It was small and scrawny, but didn’t run when Daci slowly approached it. Just kept staring at her until Daci got within touching distance, then it took off before she could feel it. 

The ones in front of her were not small or scrawny. 

They were huge. Bigger than her even. 

And beautiful. 

“What kind of cat is that?” she asked Clint, stopping in front of a huge striped cat. 

“Those are tigers. Their stripes help them hide from their prey so they can sneak up on them. They’re also one of the few cats who swim.” She let go of Clint’s hand to put both of hers on the glass, mesmerized at the sight of the tiger yawning and showing its big teeth. 

“Daci Daci! Come see the lions!” Peter called out to her, making Daci spin around to see him waving over to her. She ran the few feet and stood next to Peter, staring in awe at the big cats. 

“Why is that one hairier than the others?” she asked, pointing to the cat in question. 

“That’s the male lion, male lions have manes and act like protectors. But they’re really just lazy, the ladies do most of the work.” She heard both Clint and Steve chuckle at Peter’s explanation, though she didn’t see what was funny. 

“Monkeys Papa! Monkeys!” Harley cried out from the stroller, pointing further into the zoo with his tiny hand. 

“You wanna see the monkeys next, Harley?” Steve asked his toddler with a smile. Without looking at her father, she once again grabbed Clint’s hand and followed the Starks further into the magical place. As the three children started chanting ‘monkeys,’ Daci realized there was a crowd and she couldn’t see. Steve was able to maneuver the stroller to the side to see while Daci and Clint hung back. 

“I can’t see the monkeys,” she mostly said to herself with a frown on her face. Then she felt Clint squeeze her hand, causing her to whip up to look at the man with a smile on his face.

“Wanna sit on my shoulders?” he asked. Without hesitation, she lifted her arms up, having seen other kids around them on other adult’s shoulders. Clint lifted up and settled her on his shoulders, wrapping his hands around her shins as she rested her hands on his head. Now she was tall enough to look at the monkeys. 

“They’re pretty silly,” she said after a moment, smiling at seeing two little monkeys wrestling each other. 

“Must be why Harley loves them so much,” Clint teased, getting a laugh out of Daci. Especially since said child was mimicking the silly monkeys.

“When’d you get so tall?” she heard from behind her, turning her head to see her father finally noticing her. She only shrugged a little before turning back to the monkeys. “You want to sit on my shoulders, cub? You can probably see better.”

“You’re hilarious,” Clint said to her father just as Daci said “no thank you.”

“Daci, ready to go see some wolves?” Steve asked, walking over with his kids and giving her father a weird and angry look before smiling at her. 

“Yes!” she exclaimed, throwing both hands in the air, making Clint wobble a little. 

“Papa can I get on your shoulders too?” Peter asked when he saw Daci. The blonde quickly obliged, settling the boy on his shoulders before pushing the stroller along. Daci turned back, hoping to see her father just as excited to see the wolves, but only frowned when he was laughing at something Vivienne was saying. 

When they arrived at the wolves, she squirmed off Clint to get down. Once on her feet, she bolted towards the glass and pressed her face up against it. There they were, beautiful dark grey wolves. In the corner in a makeshift cave, she could make out a few cubs playing. 

“How come wolves are your favorite, Daci?” Peter suddenly asked beside her, no longer on his father’s shoulders. 

With a smile on her face she turned to Peter and said, “Cause they’re me, Peter. My name means ‘wolf’ in Romanian.” Her Tati had explained that to her and shown her pictures of the creatures numerous times. 

“Oh, cool. Daddy told me my name means ‘rock solid.’ But I would rather it mean wolf.” She chuckled a little at him before taking another long look at the wolves. 

“Hey I don’t know about you guys, but I’m so hungry I could eat a giraffe,” Clint said loudly while rubbing his stomach. 

“No Unca Cint! No g’affs!” Morgan cried with a pout, crossing her tiny arms over her chest. 

“Of course not Morgan, I was just teasing,” Clint said as he plucked Morgan up out of the stroller and into his arms. 

“Daci, Petey, come on. We’re going to eat at the restaurant here before seeing the other animals,” Steve said as he pushed a stroller still filled with Harley towards the restaurant. Peter and Daci followed the others, frowning at seeing Vivienne and her father already seated waiting for them. 

“Uncle Clint I need to use the potty,” Peter said just as Morgan began to get fussy in Clint’s arms. 

“I need to go too,” Daci added, looking around and finding restrooms nearby. “Look Peter, they’re right there. Let’s go.”

“Alright, hurry back so we can eat,” Clint said in reply, struggling with a squirmy baby. The two ran the fifteen feet to the restrooms before splitting for their designated rooms. Daci was done quickly, but didn’t beat Peter, who was just outside talking to an adult. 

An adult she didn’t recognize. 

Her instincts flared as she assessed the man while simultaneously looking for both nearby weapons and a possible escape route. She slowly made her way over to them, noticing Peter’s body language change as the man reached for the boy’s arm. In two more steps, she was close enough to hear Peter say ‘no’ before she stomped her foot - sending the man flying back into the gift shop window.

People around them screamed, but Daci was focused on Peter and making sure he was alright. Behind Peter she could see Steve sprinting towards them. Satisfied that he wasn’t injured, Daci stepped back and waited to be reprimanded. And sure enough, she could see her father right behind Steve. 

“Daciana!” Tati barked out, anger written across his face. She wasn’t thinking when she broke the rule of no powers in public. She just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to Peter. 

“Peter? Daci what the hell just happened?” Steve asked frantically as he looked each child over. Daci stood quietly, looking behind her father and frowning when he saw Vivienne approaching them. The woman had a disappointed look on her face and was speaking on a phone - which for some reason only made Daci angry. 

“Hey!” her father barked out again, gripping her arm and yanking her to the side, away from the small crowd that had gathered. “What the hell just happened? Did you use your powers in public?” She nodded, unable to lie to him and starting to feel a little afraid at how angry he was. 

“Sweetheart, it’s fine. I can take care of this. SHIELD agent, remember? I’ll just need to head to the office now. We can try hanging out again on another day,” Vivienne said with her hand on her father’s shoulder, breathing into his ear. It seemed like she was being helpful, but Daci couldn’t help her glare towards the woman. 

“Great. Vi, I’m so sorry,” her Tati said as he stood up to face the woman. 

“That guy isn’t in the gift shop anymore. Daci? Kiddo are you okay?” Clint asked, suddenly appearing by her side and squatting down next to her. Anger and confusion were battling it out in her chest, but the latter won out as she just shook her head no before allowing Clint to pull her into a hug. 

She stayed in his embrace but watched as Vivienne had her phone back to her ear and was walking away...while her father turned to her with even angrier eyes. 

“Explica-te,” he growled at her. { _Explain yourself_ } She actually flinched at him, which she hadn’t done in a long time. Clint released her but stayed close for comfort as Peter moved to stand in between her and her Tati. 

“Uncle Bucky, it’s not her fault! I was just telling Papa that the man was trying to take me away! He said he was a friend of Daddy’s and he was going to take me to him. He grabbed my arm, and when he did, Daci stomped her foot and sent him flying! She saved me.”

“Peter, I understand. But either of you could’ve yelled for help. Instead of damaging property and exposing your powers to the world or anyone that has a camera phone,” Tati said directly to her. “Luckily it doesn’t really seem like anyone saw how it happened, and Vi is awesome enough to go back into work on her day off to cover for you. Dammit Daci this is the kind of thing that gets us kicked out and back on the run again!” 

She hadn’t even thought of that, she really hadn’t been thinking period. She saw her friend in trouble and acted. What if...what if they had to leave and she was the reason why?

“Hey, Buck come on no harm done. She was just looking out for her cousin,” Steve said on her behalf as she blinked a few tears away. 

“Yeah, really people may not know it was her but might get suspicious if you’re yelling at a five year old after a man crashed through a window. Peter’s fine, Daci’s fine, let’s just go eat lunch and check out the rest of the zoo,” Clint added with a hand on Daci’s shoulder. 

“ ** _We’re_ ** going back to the Tower,” her Tati snapped before grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the archer. 

“Buck, come on she’s a kid,” Clint said on her behalf. 

“Yeah, **my** kid. Not yours and not yours,” Tati added angrily while pointing his fingers at Clint and Steve in turn. With his hand still gripping her arm, he pulled her along towards the exit of the zoo. She could hear the two men calling after them but was too focused on the metal grip on her arm. 

“Tati,” she groaned, wiggling her arm free when it really started to hurt. He let her go immediately and momentarily looked guilty before he steeled his face again. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, pressing some buttons as a yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of them. They were both quiet as they silently got in, Daci deciding not to apologize until they were back at the Tower. 

On the elevator ride up, she finally said “I’m sorry Tati, I saw a man trying to take Peter and I...I didn’t think.”

“No, you didn’t cub,” Tati said in a much less angry tone and much more sad. Which somehow hurt worse. It felt like only a few minutes ago when she felt hungry, now her stomach was just twisted in knots. “I’m going to go make us lunch and I want you to go to your room and think about what you’ve done.” The door to the elevator opened on their floor, but she stood frozen as he stepped out. 

Her gaze stayed on the floor, too ashamed of herself to move. She heard a sigh before her Tati was lifting her up into his arms and hugging her tight. Daci remained limp for a moment before quickly returning the embrace, unable to stop the tears free flowing down her cheeks. 

Without a word he brought her to her room himself, rubbing her back along the way before sitting the two on her bed. She clung to him, feeling childish but pushing those feelings away like he told her to. 

“Imi pare rau,” she whimpered on his lap, only feeling worse when he sighed again. { _I’m sorry_ }

“You’ll apologize to Vivienne the next time we see her. Okay, cub? She was really looking forward to getting to know you today,” he said as he pulled back to look her in the face, adding to the guilt in her stomach. She nodded back in response, though a small part of her wanted to argue that the woman hadn’t said two words to her all day. “Here, take this,” he added, Wolf suddenly appearing in her arms as the man stood up and placed her back down on her bed. 

Squeezing Wolf helped her a little bit with the shame she felt, but her father towering over her almost canceled it out. 

“Your one rule is to not use your powers in the outside world. Now you’re going to sit here and think about it while I fix us some lunch.” She watched him turn to go, waiting for him to close her door before climbing under her covers. Maybe if she napped, she’d wake up in a better mood. 

She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but she woke to the sounds of people arguing. Keeping Wolf in her arms, she carefully made her way to the sounds. It only took a moment to recognize the voices, her face frowning when she could hear her father and Steve arguing. 

“Maybe if you had been paying attention to Daci instead of hanging out with that _woman_ -”

“-That woman has a name and if you just came down here to try and tell me how to parent my child -”

“-I wouldn’t need to tell you how to parent your child if you were actually **parenting your child**! Instead of flaunting around with that-”

“-Her name is Vivienne and don’t fucking talk about her like that!”

“She’s your handler, Bucky! You’re not even supposed to be legally dating her! She’s a goddamn SHIELD agent taking advantage of you-”

Daci didn’t hear the rest, quickly making her way to the elevator with Wolf in tow. The knots in her stomach tightened - now with anger instead of guilt - as she hugged Wolf close, getting off the elevator on Clint’s floor and hoping the archer won’t mind her company. 

She hesitated at the door, second guessing sneaking out and showing up at Clint’s doorstep when said door suddenly flew open. 

“Daci? JARVIS said someone was at my door. What’s up kiddo?” Clint asked with a yawn as he rubbed a hand over his face. 

“Steve and Tati are fighting,” she said quietly, hoping he’ll understand her explanation and not ask for more. He stepped to the side, allowing her space to enter his floor. She stepped inside, heading straight for his couch and cuddling Wolf close. 

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to see the rest of the animals, Daci. And that, you know, your Dad’s kind of a dick.” That put a smile on her face, curling up next to the blonde when he sat by her. Without any prompting, she climbed into his lap and made herself comfortable in the arms of the archer she trusted whole-heartedly. “Plus for the record, I think you did the right thing. It’s not like you used your brain-squashing ability…” She could only grunt in disapproval at his suggestion, burrowing further into his embrace when he chuckled and tightened his arms around her. “You know what I mean, I just...don’t beat yourself up too much over it, okay?”

She nodded in response, clutching Wolf tighter as Steve’s words rolled around in her head. 

“Clint...what’s a handler?”

“What do you mean?”

“Steve said that...that Vivienne was Tati’s handler.” 

“Oh...well, that means she’s the one who he’s been meeting with all this time at SHIELD. She’s been making sure he’s okay.” Daci frowned at that, because she realized why Steve said it was illegal...and wondered why Clint was almost defending her. 

“Steve said what she’s doing is illegal…”

“Well, I mean technically yes. But he got cleared so now it isn’t...unless of course Fury somehow found out they dated before that...but I don’t know kiddo why don’t we watch some cartoons or something?” Clint responded, using one hand to fumble for the television remote. 

“Why are you defending her?” she asked as she slid off his lap, looking at him almost accusatory. 

“I’m not defending her-”

“-You love him.” That statement, which maybe Daci shouldn’t have said, seemed to have broken Clint. “I can read people Clint. I see it.”

“Sweetheart, I’m not doubting your ability but this is adult stuff you just don’t understand yet,” Clint replied in a voice that didn’t sound like his own. He didn’t seem to mind Daci shifting off his lap and away from him, just kept staring at his hands on his lap. 

“But,” she said in a more defeated voice, “but if you love him, then you should be with him.” 

“Daciana you’re forgetting your father and the fact that he is with someone else…”

“But maybe if he knew-”

“-There’s nothing for him to know!” he snapped at her, causing her to flinch. “I...shit I’m sorry. Look none of this is your fault. And it’s not something you should look into, either. This is adult stuff and I’m sure if you gave Vivienne a chance then-”

“-You’re defending her again!” she snapped back, anger rising in her gut as she stood up off the couch. _Why does he keep defending her?_

“I think you should go back to your floor before your Dad finds out you left and gets more upset.” She couldn’t help but glare at him, not even attempting to protest as she quickly made her way back to her floor, a strong grip on Wolf. She couldn’t hear Steve anymore, walking into the kitchen to find her Tati talking on the phone in a quiet voice. 

“Thanks for everything Vi, I really appreciate it. Oh hey, Daci is up. I’ll call you back later. Love you too, bye,” Tati said when he noticed her, turning to her with a smile on his face. “Hey cub, did you have a good nap?” She shook her head no, holding Wolf against her chest and thinking of all the knots still sitting in her stomach. 

When he opened his arms she accepted the invitation instantly, hugging her father with Wolf squished between them. 

“Don’t worry cub. Vi took care of everything. And, she’s coming over for dinner and we’re going to watch a movie together. Just the three of us.” She was glad her face was hidden in his chest so he couldn’t see her grimace at the news. 

She would try to give this woman a chance...but there was just something about her Daci didn’t trust. 

* * *

A week went by and she didn’t grow to like Vivienne any more. In fact...she was really starting to dislike her. Like when she spent the night with them. Daci had a nightmare and went to her father’s room, where Vivienne intercepted her and made her go back to her own bed. The woman had made sure she had Wolf and offered her a smile, but Daci felt something cold behind her eyes. 

It was almost as if she was coming between her and her father. 

Not to mention how little she hung out with the other people in the Tower. 

One night they went out on a ‘date night,’ which entailed Daci sleeping with the Starks on their floor so Vivienne and father could be alone on theirs. 

When she had asked Steve later why they needed to be alone, the blonde’s cheeks turned pink and he just muttered something about ‘adult time.’ She would’ve liked to have asked Clint, but he and Natasha were away on a mission. Clint was still pleasant around them, but she could tell the archer was avoiding her and her Tati. 

Which confirmed her suspicions about how he felt about her father. 

Sometimes, when she was having trouble falling asleep, she’d imagined what it would be like to have Clint as her other parent. She’d picture Clint and her father together and the three of them being a family. Sometimes she’d even find herself waking up with a smile. 

But right now she was too distracted by the fact her father was going on **another** date with that woman. She begrudgingly followed him to Stark’s floor, confused by the arguing she could hear coming from the living room. 

Tony and Steve were having a shouting match in the living room with none of their children within eyesight, and they turned their anger towards her and her father when they saw them. 

“Oh no, oh hell no,” Tony muttered as Daci found herself shrinking back from his glare. 

“No, actually this is perfect. Bucky, thanks for volunteering to babysit!” 

“Excuse me? I have plans with -”

“- you’ve seen her every night for the past two weeks, I think she can manage one night without you. Tony and I are going on a date night and you’ll stay here and watch the bunch.”

“Wait...really?” Tony asked in surprise, probably just confused as Daci felt. 

“Yup. Morgan’s teething. Harley is a late bloomer with the terrible twos. You are overworked at SI and I’m about to lose my mind. We’re getting dressed and we’re going on a date.”

“So I don’t get a say in this? You really expect me to be able to handle four kids?” her Tati asked as Steve asked the ceiling robot to bring the boys back into the living room. 

“Bruce is in his lab and I’m sure when he and Natasha get back from shopping Clint won’t mind helping you,” Steve said as he gently pushed his husband in the direction of their bedroom. Peter and Harley joined them a moment later as Daci took a seat on the couch, her father heading to the kitchen to no doubt call Vivienne. 

“Are they done yelling?” Peter asked as Harley plopped down on the floor and began playing with his blocks. 

“Yeah they are going on a date tonight,” Daci said, watching as Peter’s expression went from nervous to relaxed. 

“Oh, okay. So you and Uncle Bucky are staying with us?” Daci nodded as she considered that word over and over again in her mind. 

“Peter, why do you call my Tati Uncle Bucky? He’s not really your uncle right?”

“No, but Uncle Bruce Uncle Clint and Uncle Thor aren’t either and I still call them uncle. ‘Cept for Aunt Tasha, obviously.”

“Okay but why do you call them that?” Peter shrugged before answering her.

“Cause they’re my family and I love them.” She thought those words over and considered what the Avengers meant to her. They certainly treated her like family, maybe it was time she did the same. 

A few minutes later Tony and Steve made their way back into the living room, both dressed in nice suits. 

“Wow! Daddy and Papa you guys look so handsome!” Peter exclaimed as her Tati rejoined them. 

“Thank you sweet boy,” Tony crooned as he walked around to kiss the boy’s head. 

“Alright Buck Morgan should wake from her nap soon. Her teething toys are in the freezer, just stick one in her mouth when she starts crying. There’s pasta sauce from yesterday if you just want to boil some noodles for their dinner. We’ll be back around midnight. Only call us if you’ve already tried Bruce, Clint and Tasha. Alright boys, you be good for Uncle Bucky, okay?” 

“No,” Harley said with a smile, getting a chuckle from Daci and Peter and a groan from the adults. Her Tati came over and sat by her side as the couple kissed their boys in goodbye and made their exit. 

“Have fun Uncle Tony and Uncle Steve,” Daci said, almost taking it back with the shocked look on everyone’s face. But then her uncles had matching grins that warmed her heart. 

“Bye Daci,” Steve said with a smile as Tony grabbed his husband’s hand, the two looking happy as they headed for the elevator. Her Tati’s arm wrapped around her as Daci easily leaned into his side. 

“De unde a venit asta?” he asked her in a quiet voice. She shrugged a little before replying. { _Where did that come from?_ }

“Ei sunt familia mea,” she said back, snuggling into her father’s side and enjoying the moment of peace before Morgan woke up screaming. { _They are my family_ }

“I’ll be right back,” her Tati said with a groan, getting up off the couch and heading to Morgan’s room. It was also at that moment that an alarm went off and the ceiling robot spoke up. 

“ _Code ‘Jolly Green Giant’ is in affect, requesting assistance on Dr. Banner’s floor._ ” They then heard the sounds of roars echoing throughout the tower as her Tati came rushing back into the living room with a crying Morgan in his arms. 

“Nobody panic,” her father said, with clear panic in his eyes. It was also at that moment that Harley began crying as the tower shook slightly. 

“Tati I can go,” Daci said as she stood up, secretly liking the idea of dealing with the Hulk rather than crying babies. 

“No, Daci-”

“ _Sergeant Barnes I recommend immediate intervention before Dr. Banner’s lab is completely destroyed."_

“I can do it.”

“I can help!” Peter added, standing up next to Daci. 

“No, Peter I need your help here. Daci...just, tell JARVIS if you need me, okay? And please be careful.”

“I will,” Daci said with a big smile before running to the elevator. “JARVIS take me to Dr. Bruce’s lab please.” The sounds of roaring got louder and when the doors opened she flinched at the glass that flew by. “Hulk?” she called out, stepping onto the floor and noting all the broken glass. 

There was momentary silence before heavy footsteps approached and the Hulk came into view. 

“Hey buddy!” she said with a smile, the tiniest hint of fear in her chest. 

“FAST GIRL,” he rumbled in excitement, throwing his arms up and smashing some of the ceiling. 

“Woah,” she said with her hands out, smiling when he came to a gentle stop. “We can play if you want but we gotta go to the gym floor. It’s okay to break things down there.” The green giant actually pouted in response. 

“BREAK PUNY BANNER’S LAB.”

“Hey, no that’s not okay,” she replied with a frown, putting her hands on her hips. “Bruce doesn’t break your stuff so you can’t break his.”

“DON’T CARE. NO ONE LIKE HULK.”

“That’s not true. I like you. So does Peter, Harley and Morgan. And the Avengers. They’re your team and we’re your family. Now come on let’s go to the gym floor,” she said as she reached her hand out for him to hold expectantly, giving him another smile when he gently grabbed her hand and went with her to the gym floor. 

“Alright Hulk, what do you wanna do?” she asked as she stretched her arms out wide. “We can play tag or run around the obstacle course?” she suggested before turning back to the giant, who was blinking his eyes slowly. _Huh_ , she thought to herself, looking over at the stack of children’s books the Starks keep down here. “Or I could read to you?”

His big green head shot up at that, looking at her in amazement. It seems like no one had offered to read with him before. 

“I need to practice, you’d be doing me a favor,” she spoke up again, walking over to the books and wondering if he’d fall for it. He was looking pretty sleepy and maybe if she could read to him he’d fall asleep and turn back into the doctor. 

Hulk eventually nodded and stomped his way over to her, clearly trying to downplay his excitement. When he settled down with his back against the gym wall, she made a decision to climb into his lap with a couple of books in her arms. 

And then she read to the Hulk. 

It took three books, but right about the time the third one ended she felt a shift below her. Rolling off to the side, she watched in amazement as the sleeping Hulk shifted back to a sleeping Dr. Banner. Putting the books to the side, she quietly approached him before sitting by his feet. 

“Uncle Bruce?” she asked as she gently squeezed his ankle. The scientist stirred a little, eyes blinking open before he jerked awake. “You’re okay Uncle Bruce.”

“Daci?” he asked before rubbing his eyes, shifting to sit up more. “What happened?”

“You became the Hulk in your lab. Tati is taking care of Morgan and Harley so I came to help.” 

“And you...did you read to me?” Daci felt her cheeks blush pink before nodding in answer. It was easier to talk to the Hulk for some reason. “And...did you call me Uncle Bruce?” She could feel her cheeks turn red and glanced at him, waiting for him to not be okay with it before she saw the man smile. 

“I...I don’t have to if you don’t want me -”

“-no, no! You can call me that you just surprised me is all.” She felt her shoulders relax as he kept smiling at her. “Do you want to finish reading to me? Looks like you have one book left.” Too stunned and happy to do anything else, she grabbed the last book and turned to sit in his lap once more. 

They heard the gym door open just as she finished reading the fourth book, the two turning as Clint and Natasha made their way over to them. 

“What have we here?” Natasha asked with a smile, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Nicely done, Daci,” Clint added with a matching smile, coming to stand next to the redhead. Daci blushed once more, feeling a little awkward and standing up off Bruce’s lap. 

“How about I help you get to bed?” Natasha asked the doctor, walking over and helping him to his feet. 

_“Pardon the interruption, but Sergeant Barnes is requesting both Miss Daciana and Agent Barton return to Sir’s floor immediately."_ Daci felt her shoulders slump, noticing the way Clint looked sad in that moment as well. 

“I can help Barnes if you want to help Bruce to our floor?” Natasha offered Clint in a hushed tone, making Daci feel worse. She was tired of seeing Clint sad, tired more of her father being with the wrong person. 

When Clint politely shook his head no, she decided then and there that she was the one who needed to do something about this. 

Even if it meant going behind her father’s back to make a phone call.


	11. Chapter 11

He was seething with rage, sitting on his bed and trying to control his breathing. Vi had just called to tell him that SHIELD had found out about the two and promptly fired her. He could feel his blood pulsing in his veins, and even though his mind felt a little fuzzy, he definitely had a one track mind right now. And that mission was to find whoever is responsible for hurting Vi’s feelings and making them pay. 

A small, teeny tiny voice in the back of his mind asked if he was being rational, but a much louder and more viscous voice demanded retribution and revenge. 

_revenge for Vivienne_

He got up, feet moving on their own accord as he left his bedroom in a huff. Daciana was walking in the hallway with a scared expression on her face, Bucky not even registering it was his demeanor that was frightening her. 

“Tati are you okay?” 

“No,” he answered shortly, the driving force of _revenge for Vivienne_ at the forefront of his mind. “Someone ratted me and Vi out to Fury and she got fired. And I think I know exactly who fucking did it,” he answered before continuing on his journey. He normally tried not to cuss in front of her, but again, he was preoccupied. 

His one track mind taking him straight to the jealous little archer’s floor.

Bucky wasn’t stupid, he saw the way Clint looked at him. And even if maybe in the beginning he liked the guy, now he just associated him with hurting the love of his life. Vi had been right about Barton, and how his ‘crush’ was completely inappropriate and he wanted to tear them apart.. She had been right about all of them, really. 

He was appreciative for her truth and honesty. And she was right about something else; he wasn’t actually bisexual. It had just been a faze. Like being the Soldier. 

She had helped him so much as his Handler. 

And because of that, he loved her with all of his heart. Nothing else mattered. The anger returned as he stood in front of Barton’s door, bringing his fist down hard against the wood and almost breaking it. It was another few seconds before Barton opened the door, and in those few seconds Bucky just got angrier. 

“The FUCK is your problem, archer?” Clint blinked back at him, as if he didn’t know why he was angry. The nerve of this guy. 

“What are you talking about, sharpshooter?” Of course he would make a joke right now. Vi was right about him. And that’s why the next words came out of his mouth. 

“You ratting me out to Fury cause you’re a jealous fucking fairy.” He watched as Clint’s expression changed from shock to matching Bucky’s anger. 

“Wow. You can go fuck yourself,” Barton snapped before shutting the door in his face. Bucky was tempted to continue their fight, but just brought his anger and confusion about who told on him back to his own floor, where a nervous Daci was waiting for him. 

“Tati…” she said softly as Bucky walked past her to head to his room. He could see if Vi knew who it was for sure before getting his _revenge for Vivienne._ “Tati wait, I need to tell you something!” He only registered the five year old had followed him when he’d picked his phone up off the bed. 

A voice...very quiet...reminded him that this child was also under his protection. He momentarily stopped his quest to turn to Daciana. 

“What is it?” he asked, voice still rough from his anger. She flinched back, but he just kept staring, the louder voice demanding _revenge for Vivienne._

“Clint didn’t tell Mr. Fury. I did.” 

Those words took two full seconds to register in his mind before he felt his anger begin to shift to the small child. 

“What did you say?” Bucky asked in an even tone, two sides of his brain fighting out what to do right now; one side wanted to attack her for hurting Vi while the other reminded him she was under his protection and you don’t hurt those under your protection. 

“I don’t like her! I don’t like who you turn into around her, I don’t like that she takes you away from us and when she does come by the tower she brushes off the other Avengers. She’s mean and I don’t trust her,” the child bit out, tiny arms crossed over her chest that matched Bucky’s. 

“You don’t get to decide who I date, Daciana. You have no say in my love life,” the man growled out, barely stamping down the fury boiling up inside telling him to attack to get _revenge for Vivienne_ as he instead curled his hands into fists.

“She’s not a nice person, Tati! You don’t know what she’s like when you aren’t around.” 

_Ah, emotional manipulation...Vi warned him about this._

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! You have no idea what you’ve done. SHE made me happy, and you decided to take that away from me!” _He could use emotional manipulation too,_ Buck thought to himself as he shouted at the child. 

“Tati…” the girl began to cry, eyes forming tears as she backed away from him. 

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” he bellowed out, his _revenge for Vivienne_ coming up like bile in his throat as he spit out the next words like acid, “you wanted to know if I was happy? Well guess what, I’m not. Thanks to you.” 

A sick satisfaction settled in his fuzzy brain, followed by a ping of guilt and regret, followed by more fuzzy satisfaction as the child burst into tears. 

“Go to your room, I can’t look at you right now.” Even as he watched her leave in distress, the need to get _revenge for Vivienne_ was still settled in his chest, burning him inside out. 

Maybe Vi would know what to do?

She didn’t answer his call, texting him that she was preparing for a job interview and couldn’t talk. 

Which only reignited his fury. He needed to vent this to someone. 

Steve. 

His one track mind took him to the elevator and then to Stark’s floor, frowning at the sound of laughter coming from the living room. Hovering in the doorway, he scanned the room, frowning more when he saw Steve wasn’t alone, but was surrounded by Stark, Banner and Romanov. 

His anger surged him forward, taking the steps to join the others in their shared space. The group’s conversation died as they all turned to him in bewilderment. 

“Did you hear?” he asked the blonde, not acknowledging the other people in the room as he waited for his oldest friend to give him vindication. Maybe have him convince Fury to hire her back. 

“Hear what, Buck?”

“Fury found out about me and Vi and fired her. Did you know?” he asked, anger beginning to brew again at the thought that maybe somehow _Steve was in on it_. 

“Oh, no I didn’t,” Steve said calmly. Too calmly. 

“Why isn’t that more upsetting to you?”

“Because your relationship was an HR violation,” Stark answered for him. “And she was abusing the power dynamic.” 

He’d always hated that man. 

“She’s the love of my life,” he said to the supposed genius before turning back to his so-called ‘friend.’ “So you didn’t have anything to do with this? You haven’t liked Vi from the beginning,” he said in an accusatory tone, well aware of the redhead slowly shifting in his peripheral. 

“Buck, calm down and lower your voice. The kids are asleep. And to answer your question - no, I didn’t have anything to do with this. Even if I didn’t approve of your relationship.”

The truth came out, just like Vi said it would.

“I’m going to make some tea,” the doctor said quietly, standing up and triggering Bucky’s reflexes. He moved to stand in front of the man when the redhead suddenly appeared in between them, blocking Bucky from his target. But before he could attack, the doctor spoke up again. 

“Wait, Nat move,” the doctor said with a hand resting on her arm. Both he and the redhead turned to him incredulously before the doctor took a deep intake through his nose. “Tony, do you smell this?” one genius asked the other, getting Stark to stand up and walk towards them. 

Bucky took a step back reflexively, not enjoying the billionaire coming into his space and also taking a deep inhale through his nose. He simply glared at the man, knowing that if he were to strike the spoiled man-child, it would mean fighting with Steve and possibly Romanoff. 

“This makes so much sense,” Stark said before he grabbed a nearby tablet and started typing furiously, leaving the room without another word. 

“Bucky,” the doctor suddenly addressed the super soldier, “you know how our partners can occasionally annoy us from time to time? Like, Nat has cold feet and likes to stick them against my back when we sleep? What silly thing does Vi do?” Stark rejoined them when the doctor finished his questions, med kit in hand and no longer holding the tablet as everyone else looked confused at the doctor.

“Excuse me?” Nat asked quietly as Steve got up off the couch to stand next to Stark. 

“Tony what is happening?”

“Answer the question, Barnes,” Stark said instead, causing the assassin to turn to the man. 

“Nothing. Vi is perfect.”

“No, but like, one thing that she does that makes you mad? Like, when Steve leaves me at four in the morning to run, taking away my heat source like a selfish jerk. Can you say one bad thing about Vivienne?”

“Seriously, what is happening?” Steve asked again. 

Bucky squinted at the shorter man, eyes focused on the other mass murderer as the billionaire's attention turned to his husband. 

“Steve, say one bad thing about me.”

“What?”

“Steve, say something bad about your husband. Show Bucky that in normal relationships you can say something negative about your partner, even your spouse,” the doctor said to Steve, confusing everyone but the genius’ further. 

“Um, okay...Tony works in the lab for too long at a time. Like three days in a row.” The statement, though brought upon by his husband, upset the man like a petulant child. 

“See Bucky? Even Steve can do it. Can you, **physically** , say something bad about Vivienne?” Banner asked him.

_What were they playing at?_

“No,” he replied defensively, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Look, Banner and I think you might be drugged,” Stark said, cutting to the chase and only pissing Bucky off more. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” he growled out, feeling more anger zip up his spine. “I think I would’ve noticed if my girlfriend injected me with something…”

“There are different ways to drug someone, Bucky. And judging from the tangy smell, dilated eyes and attitude towards her, I’d say it was through perfume,” Banner explained. “I haven’t seen it in at least ten years, but there’s a plant native to the Amazon rainforest, and when you burn it and mix it with other things, add bit of magic…”

“Ever heard of a love potion?” Stark interrupted.

“Wait...seriously?” Steve asked as Bucky’s brow furrowed. _What the hell was a love potion?_

“If he’s under some kind of spell, how do we snap him out of it?” Romanoff asked. 

“I’m not under any kind of spell,” he growled in his own defense, watching as Stark held his phone to his ear and walked out of the room again. 

“It would at least explain his behavior,” Steve said, earning a glare from Bucky. 

“She said you all would do this. That you’d try to turn me against her,” Bucky growled, considering leaving them in favor of finding his true love. 

“No one is doing that, Buck. We’re just concerned about you,” Steve said as Stark returned, no longer on the phone but now holding a bottle of some kind as he made his way back to the others. 

“You’ve been drugged, Terminator. Lucky for you, I have a sorcerer friend who had an interesting proposal to counter the effects.”

“You’d call Stephen a friend?” Banner asked Stark with a teasing tone, that the billionaire just ignored in favor of stepping into Bucky’s personal space. Before he could react fully, Stark sprayed the contents of the bottle in Bucky’s face. 

He coughed and took a step back, waving the air in front of him with his metal hand. 

“What the hell?” he asked the so-called ‘genius’, gripping his fist angrily and ready to fight if necessary. Steve must have sensed that, as he made his way closer in case he needed to defend his husband. 

Which would prove necessary, since the next words that came out of Stark’s mouth were “JARVIS activate snow globe” followed by the chest plate and arms of the Iron Man armor flying in and attaching to Bucky. The brunette growled in anger and tried to lunge for the billionaire, but was frozen from the armor - then everything moved in slow motion. He could see Steve out of the corner of his eye reach for Bucky as his husband cocked his fist back and squarely punched Bucky in the nose. 

The momentum knocked him back and flat on his ass, feeling blood come out as his nose was once again assaulted - by the cologne this time. He tried desperately to swing his arms to get rid of the smell, but the suit prevented him from moving. 

“Tony what the actual fuck?” he heard Steve demand as Bucky still laid on the floor, brain doing weird things in his skull. _Weird...why did his brain suddenly feel like it had been in a blender?_

“Sorry Barnes, Strange said it was a combo of blunt force trauma and exposure to a different smell. How are you feeling?” Stark asked as his armor retreated off Bucky.

“Like I’m going to strangle you once I get off this floor,” the former assassin growled, laying on the floor for a few moments longer as his head throbbed. After a moment he sat up and rubbed his head, which now felt incredibly foggy.

“Right, but how do you feel about Vivienne?”

“Seriously Tony, **this** was what the pompous doctor suggested?” he heard Steve ask, now next to Bucky and offering him some tissues.

“Like she’s better company than all of you,” Bucky said bitterly, though he did suddenly notice his overwhelming urge to be with Vivienne suddenly...weakened. _Wait why did he even want revenge for her...?_

“Bucky, in all seriousness, can you not find a single flaw in your partner?” the doctor asked, appearing by Bucky’s other side and offering a bag of ice. The super soldier gratefully accepted it, standing up and holding the ice to his nose as he considered the question. 

“I mean...well yeah nobody’s perfect. But I…” he paused, not liking how ‘love’ would sound on his tongue. Wait...did he really love Vi? Right now the feeling felt fuzzy as other parts of his mind started to become clear of the fog that had settled in his brain. 

“Buck, Vivienne was your handler. A romantic relationship should have never begun between you two. It’s an abuse of power. Not only that, but she has been secretly drugging you and...well she hasn’t been very nice to Daci when you’re not around…”

“What?” Bucky bit out at the billionaire, quickly snapping at attention at the mention of his daughter’s name. “What are you talking about?”

“J, roll the footage,” said the man who was skating on thin ice. Bucky threw a glare his way before turning his attention to the screen, feeling sick at what he saw. 

The first few clips didn’t have audio, just faces Vivienne made behind his back at Daci. The first one with audio made Bucky’s stomach more upset, as it was Vivienne mocking Daci for having a stuffed animal. It was in a subtle way, but made the connection between babies and toys that had his daughter putting Wolf under her bed. 

_And how shitty of a father was he not to have noticed Wolf had been missing from her arms the last few days?_

The next video made him freeze with fury, as it had just occurred the other night. And showed Vivienne spraying something on him before leaving his bed - without him waking up - to tell a crying Daci at his bedroom door that she was too old to sleep in ‘their’ bed and there wasn’t any room. 

Bucky saw red. 

The last time it happened he had murdered everyone around him. 

This time...he collapsed on the couch, and simply **plotted** murder. 

He was going to fucking kill that back stabbing cunt whose been drugging him since they met. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t see this. Why didn’t you guys show me the footage earlier?” he asked the room, not looking up from his lap as traitorous tears prickled his eyes. 

“JARVIS literally told me about it when I stepped away to call Strange, so I asked him to compile the videos. Bucky if we had known we would’ve stepped in, we all love that kid,” Stark said gently, which threw him off more than his lover’s betrayal. Well not more, but still. 

“This isn’t your fault, Buck. She was manipulating you,” Steve added. And he could’ve said more, but Bucky heard a ringing in his ears as the memory of what he said to both Daci and Clint came to the forefront of his mind. 

**Oh fuck.**

“I snapped at Daci for getting her fired, told her she didn't make me happy...and Clint...I accused him and called him a...holy fuck,” Bucky choked out as he held his head in his hands and a swarm of emotions churned inside of him. He felt nauseous and more scrambled than the last time he’d gotten out of HYDRA’s hold. A hand he instantly recognized as Steve’s gripped his shoulder. 

“This is nothing that a simple apology can’t fix. And then we can find out what that lying bitch was up to,” Steve cursed for him, which almost put a smile on Bucky’s face. Except he replayed the way he treated Clint and his own daughter in his head. That just curdled the sour in his stomach and made him feel more betrayed than he’s felt in his life. Which is saying something.

“This is powerful shit you were exposed to Barnes, could’ve made me cheat on Steve,” Tony said, which did nothing for Bucky’s current shitstorm of emotions raging inside his chest. 

“Tony…”

“I’m helping, Steve! Do you have any idea how strong of a scent I’d have to ingest to make me cheat on you??”

“Tony, you’re not helping. Bucky, it’s going to be okay,” Steve said next to him as Bucky concentrated on his breathing. _He was going to murder Vivienne._ “Let us look into Vivienne, you go see Clint and Daci,” Steve added, as if reading his thoughts. That’s when he noticed Romanov standing up and leaving the room. He turned back to Steve, wondering what he did to deserve a friend like him - one who was still kind even after he’d been a completely idiotic asshole. But then that equally dumb blonde smiled back at him, the same smile he’d seen a hundred times after Buck had saved his ass and scolded him for fighting in the first place. 

“ _Thank you_ ,” he whispered to the man, rolling his eyes at the blonde’s beaming smile and handing him the bag of ice. “I’ll go talk to my kid then shower whatever remaining smell she put on me before I apologize to Clint.” 

“Sounds good, you stink.”

“Punk.”

“Jerk.” With that, Bucky quickly made his way back to his floor as the guilt started to resurface. Jesus had he really said those things to his own kid? That she was the reason he wasn’t happy? 

Fuck it was such bullshit. Her smiling face is what’s kept him going this last year. 

Taking care of her is what’s been grounding him when everything got too loud. 

And he let Vivienne, or whatever her real name was, make him believe **_she_ **was the reason he was getting better? 

No, that was all his Daciana. His wolf cub. 

With a slight skip in his step, he quickly opened her bedroom door. And was met with nothing. 

“Daciana?” he called out, fear beginning to spread in his chest as he looked around her room. “Daci?” he called again, checking her little side bathroom and closet before frowning at seeing it empty as well. When he went back to her bedroom, he noticed Wolf was tucked into her bed. “JARVIS?” 

He frowned when he didn’t hear a response for a moment.

_“Yes Sergeant Barnes?”_

“Where is my kid?”

_“My apologies sir, it appears Young Miss Daciana is no longer in the Tower.”_

“What?! What the fuck does that mean? How did she leave?” Bucky asked the ceiling, instantly alert and feeling adrenaline course through his veins. 

_“I...I’m not sure sir…”_ His feet started moving on their own accord, back to Stark’s floor for an explanation. Stark and Steve were in the living room, alone and making out with each other. 

“Stark!” he shouted, ignoring the glaring looks from the two startled men who proceeded to scramble off one another. “Daci’s gone and your AI doesn’t know how she left.” 

“What?” 

“How’s that possi...shit,” Stark grumbled as he grabbed his nearest tablet and started typing furiously. 

“Her powers…” Steve said quietly, connecting the dots before Bucky did. _That’s how she did it…_

“Video feed shows Daci putting her hand against the wall and shutting JARVIS down for a bit. And she mimicked my voice to call a car...looks like it took her to...an apartment complex on the upper east side?”

“Vivienne,” Bucky growled out, clenching his fists in anger at both that woman and himself. 

“Stevie why don’t you take Barnes and Noble and make sure he doesn’t go Terminator on anyone other than Vivienne?”

“Tony...wait you’re suggesting I go?” Steve asked him curiously after chiding his husband a little. 

“What?” Stark asked with a shrug. “The three stooges are asleep. Go get my second favorite girl and make sure the Winter Soldier doesn’t make an appearance.”

“That’s not funny,” Steve admonished as he stood up off the couch. “Bucky he doesn’t mean that.”

“No, he’s got a point. Let’s go,” Bucky said, turning away from the pair and heading straight for the elevator. He waited a moment before Steve came into view, glad he could only hear and not see their goodbye kiss. He also purposefully ignored Steve’s side eye, not feeling the need to assure his oldest friend he had no plans to be a brainwashed assassin again. 

Didn’t mean he would never strangle anyone with his bare hands again, though. 

That’s what he concentrated on as Steve drove them to her apartment. That and having his kid back safe and sound. Before Steve could even park he was jumping out of the car, ignoring the blonde’s cries of protest to race up the several flights of stairs. 

Her door was open, which had Bucky momentarily freeze before pulling his gun out of his pocket, raising it up and slowly entering the apartment. It looked like there had been a struggle with the broken glass and strewn furniture but he started to wonder how much of this was staged. 

“Daci?” he called out quietly, checking every inch of the apartment as he heard Steve running to join him. 

“Anything?” Buck shook his head no as a horrible feeling settled in his stomach. “You think someone took them both?”

“No,” Bucky growled out. “I think that bitch took my kid.”

* * *

* * *

* * *

She could fix this. She knew she could. 

Plus she _should_ be the one to fix it, since this was mostly her fault. 

After messing with JARVIS to give her a heads start, and using Tony’s voice to call and pay for a cab, she was on her way to her destination, ignoring the odd look from the cab driver. He didn’t comment though, so maybe he was just confused about a child traveling by themselves. 

Regardless, it wasn’t long before she made it to her destination, thanking the man as she got out. It wasn’t hard to hack JARVIS to find the woman’s address. She approached the stairs, taking them slowly as she ascended and considered what she would say. Stopping in front of her apartment, she took another breath before knocking loudly. 

“Just a second!” she heard her voice call from behind the door, suddenly more nervous as she listened to footsteps approach. The door swung open, and Daci shifted from one foot to the other as Vivienne stood there in shock. “Daciana?”

“Hi Vivienne.”

“Sweetheart, what...what are you doing here? Are you by yourself?”

“Yes, I came to apologize. It’s my fault that you were fired. I’m the one who told Director Fury about your relationship with my father,” Daci paused, feeling guilt and shame wash over her for her own actions. “I didn’t trust you, but my father clearly does. And I’m...I’m just sorry I made you lose your job.” She finished with her head hanging low, focusing on her shoes instead of the woman’s anger.

“Oh Daci,” Vivienne said, squatting down in front of her and placing a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You should always trust your first instinct.” Before Daci could react to that, she felt a pinch in her neck, looking up as Vivienne pulled an empty syringe away from her. 

As everything faded to darkness, she heard Vivienne whisper the two words she hoped she’d never hear again. 

“Hail Hydra.”

~~~

When she woke, the first thing her mind registered was the smell. It was from a cologne of a man she had thought had died. Wished had died. She blinks her eyes awake, feeling the restraints against her hands as she looks around the small room she was being kept in.

She’s tied in a chair but her eyes and mouth aren’t bound and she licks her lips as her eyes find their intended target. The owner of the cologne smell and the man who experimented on her. 

Strucker. 

“Welcome home, child.”

“This is not my home,” she growled at the man, trying to use her brain-squishing power and feeling an electric shock for her trouble. That’s when she noticed a thin strap around her neck, unable to see it but feeling it’s presence and suddenly understanding its purpose. 

“Like it? It’ll prevent you from misbehaving. Which, speaking of,” the man paused to actually tsk-tsk at her, “I believe we taught you better than that, girl.”

“My name is Daciana. My Tati gave it to me,” she spit out before being electrocuted again, her body shaking as tears began forming behind her eyes. It only lasted a moment but it felt much longer. 

“You do not have a ‘tati’ stupid child,” Strucker growled out before enforcing his point with a harsh slap to her face. The serum would make her heal soon, but it didn’t stop the trickle of blood that she felt as pain radiated from her cheek. “You belong to us. We may have used his DNA but **we created you**. So you belong to HYDRA.”

“No I -” she got out before being electrocuted once more. She cried out in pain, earning her another slap on her face. Tears fell down her cheeks, the gut-wrenching desire for her father suddenly crushing her soul. 

“Crying already? How pathetic. The Avengers have made you weak. You will learn your place once more. You are a clone that we made, child. You’re not even human. A creature that was built to destroy under command and nothing else.” The crying only increased as did her desire to have her father come save her. Surely by now he realizes that Vivienne was part of HYDRA. 

That it wasn’t her fault. 

That she was still savable. 

But then she started hearing the words. The words that froze her entire being. 

And as Strucker began reciting the words in Romanian that morphed her back into a soldier, her last thoughts were of her family. And the sudden hope that they weren’t coming after her. 

She was only five, but recognized that HYDRA were hoping the Avengers would come for her. 

If only to have her kill them herself. 

* * *

* * *

* * *

All of the Avengers piled onto the quintjet, even both Steve and Stark who contacted Miss Potts to watch their kids. Bucky couldn’t stop pacing, frustrated with himself for allowing her to brainwash him. And that this was all his fault. And what he would do to Strucker when he saw him. He ignored both Steve and Thor’s attempts to soothe him in favor of focusing on how it will feel to strangle Strucker with his non-metal hand. 

It wasn’t until a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist did he halt his movements. 

He looked down, prepared to deliver his wrath when he noticed whose hand it was. 

She didn’t have to say anything, just gave him a look that was both sympathetic but also threatening. Kind of a - _I understand you’re struggling but if you don’t stop brooding so help me god…_

He took a breath to calm himself before giving her a nod, using the opportunity of her releasing his wrist to calmly make his way over to Clint. He had been avoiding apologizing after his only thought was getting Daci back, grateful to see the man readily accept the call when JARVIS sounded the alarm. 

The archer was a much better man than Bucky and at the very least deserved an apology. Buck cleared his throat awkwardly when he made his way to the pilot’s chair, frowning at the flinch coming from the archer. 

“Thank you for doing this,” he said instead of an apology, because the Winter Soldier was a coward at heart. 

“I’m not doing this for you,” the blonde snapped back, hands gripping tighter on the control wheel. 

“I understand,” he said quietly, standing up tall like his Mama told him when making a proper apology. “I’m sorry for what I said Clint. I didn’t mean it, any of it. It’s not an excuse, but she -”

“- drugged you. Yeah. Nat told me.”

“Right. Well. I just...after everything…” He wasn't sure why...but he desperately needed Clint to forgive him. He couldn't ask him for that right now, but the thought of losing Clint as a friend hurt him in a way he didn't expect.

“Save it, alright? We’ll be there soon. Focus your energy on finding Daci.” Even though he knew he deserved it, it still stung hearing Clint write him off like that. At the very least, he thought they were friends. But he had a point, the only thing to do now was focus on getting his girl back. 

Then he can make right with his friend and teammate. 

When they landed, he kept in his anger long enough to follow Steve’s lead. It was a familiar facility to the one he found Daci in, except that one he personally had blown up following their escape. Stark and Thor flew ahead to survey the area while Banner hung back until Hulk was needed, leaving the other four to infiltrate. 

Steve and Bucky paired off while Clint and Natasha did the same, the two groups separating to cover more ground. Steve held his hand up to signal Bucky to stop, but he could hear her voice. Not the voice of the sweet angel that had saved his life. 

But of the bitch who took her. 

With a hand wave, Bucky led the two into what appeared to be the control room, assessing there were four others to take down in addition to her. He looked over at his oldest friend, who nodded before kicking the door down in one motion. Bucky raised his gun, the two making quick work of the other agents before leaving the blonde liar for last. 

“My love,” Vivienne said with a shaky breath, playing as if she was somehow innocent in all of this. Bucky didn’t fall for it, instead reaching his flesh hand out to grip her neck before slamming her against the wall behind her. 

“Where is she?” he growled at her, trying not to be too satisfied to see her gasping for breath. When her mouth curved to ask a question, he used his metal hand to punch a hole in the wall directly next to her head. “Tell me where she is.”

“You...are...too...late,” she gasped out, eyes changing from fear to confidence even as they began to bulge from her skull. _That...that could only mean..._

“ _We found her, middle of the facility. Code green, Banner,_ ” Natasha said through the comms.

“Let’s go get your girl back, Buck.” Bucky kept his gaze on the woman who was the reason for all of this.

“You deserve worse than this...but getting my kid back is more important,” Bucky said his final words to her before using his hands to snap her neck, looking at the lifeless body for another second before turning back to Steve. “Let’s go.”

Turns out, there were a lot of agents between them and the middle. And even when they eventually got there, she was still apparently behind a heavy door as he watched the Hulk attempt to break it down. Bullets continued whizzing by but his only focus was on getting his girl back. 

One final punch had the door break under Hulk’s fist, eliciting an excited noise from the giant. 

“FAST GIRL!” Hulk exclaimed, before taking off to enter the room. Bucky couldn’t see inside yet, taking out more men as he tried to make his way over. But then everything was quiet as Hulk’s form came flying back. The Avengers momentarily froze when Hulk flew through two walls before resuming kicking ass. Bucky took the last few steps free from henchmen who were knocked out by a flying Hulk. 

Then - Bucky was suddenly frozen, now able to see into the room. 

And feeling a kind of pain he’d never experienced before. 

Because there was his girl, his daughter. 

Pupils so dilated they were no longer green and unable to focus on any one spot. Hands clenched and in a fighting position. The ground was slightly concave in front of her where she must’ve stomped her foot to send Hulk flying. 

Which meant...HYDRA had turned her into the soldier Bucky had always been afraid of. 

“Daci,” he said to himself, aware she wouldn’t know him in this moment. 

“Tinta,” she said back to him, sending a jolt of fear up his spine. So she did know who he was...just not in the way he’d hoped. { _Target_ }

“Daciana. Baby, please we are here to take you home,” he choked out, unaware that tears had begun to form in his eyes. 

“Daciana! Hey remember us?” Stark asked as he suddenly hovered next to her. 

“Stark!” Bucky shouted but couldn’t stop her. Daci moved swiftly, jumping up and placing her hand on the ankle part of his armor before Stark could move, instantly turning off the light of the arc reactor. He watched horrified as the metal suit collapsed with Stark in it, prepared to call for Steve when the Captain suddenly appeared by his husband’s side. An explosive arrow landed by Daci’s feet, knocking her back and allowing Stark some space. 

“Thor I need lightening! Tony, hey can you hear me?” Steve yelled as Thor flew in a moment later, using his hammer to summon lightning and start up the reactor again. Clint suddenly appeared by his side, eyes on Daci who had stood up slowly. 

“Goons are taken out. Tasha is helping Bruce back to the quinjet, no sign of Strucker. What’s the plan here?”

“Thor take Tony to the quinjet then you and Tasha find Strucker. We’ll get Daci," Steve said just as Daci’s attention turned toward the Captain before she charged at Steve. 

“Daci!” Bucky cried out before finally moving his feet to chase after her. She began fighting Steve, who was blocking her moves but struggling not to fight back. As soon as Bucky got close enough, Daci spotted him, moved around and stomped her foot at the two of them. They flew back in unison and demolished the wall behind them. 

Bucky brushed off some debris, shaking his head in hopes of his vision clearing out. He heard Steve groan next to him but his attention quickly snapped to the image in front of him. 

Clint was trying to talk to her, fingers on his bow and was staying far enough away to not let her get a hand on him. 

But she didn’t need to be within reach…

Sure enough, Bucky watched in horror as Clint was suddenly several feet in the air, blood beginning to appear in his panicked eyes. He wasn’t sure what came over him...but without thinking Bucky stood up, reached over Steve to grab the shield and threw it...aiming for his daughter’s head. 

And since he was the Winter Soldier, he didn’t miss his target. Daci collapsed on the ground at the same time Clint did, knowing the sound of her skull cracking will haunt him forever. 

“Holy shit,” Steve said as the two ran towards the two bodies. Bucky ran for Daci but did pause to steal a glance at Clint, who was still breathing. 

“Daci?” he asked his girl, hating himself for the blood staining her hair. She still had a pulse - thank God but she could very well still be the soldier. Just because blunt force trauma snapped him out of it didn’t mean it worked the same for her. But Buck knows he’d die for this girl, so he remained protectively over her and assessed her body for other injuries. “Take Clint back to the quinjet,” he said solemnly, well aware Steve would oblige his request. It wasn’t safe to move Daci yet and Clint needed immediate medical attention. Plus...if anyone should save his daughter it should be him. He got them into all of this mess.

When he heard Steve’s footsteps fading is when he could also suddenly hear footsteps in front of him. 

“Well well, what do you think? Should I make her kill you slowly or take you out quickly so she can get to the other Avengers?” Bucky glared up at Strucker, not even sure his kid would wake up let alone have the energy to keep fighting her family. 

“You should be more concerned for your own life,” Bucky growled as he moved to stand up, but not before a tiny hand shot out and grabbed his flesh wrist. 

“HA! What was that, soldier? No no, you see she belongs to **us**. Kill him, Weapon.” A million thoughts rushed through Bucky’s mind, but they all came to a halt when the small fingers gripping his wrist squeezed twice. 

_Holy shit._

He stood frozen as Daci released his wrist and slowly - and painfully - stood up to face him. She was shaky on her feet but looked directly at him, hunched over. Her eyes were green again, the same green he saw his look like in the mirror. She kept her face slack and if Strucker actually knew anything about this amazing girl, he’d know when she was faking it. But since he didn’t, Bucky carefully kept his face panicked and inwardly smiled at the thought of what would come next. 

He even blinked twice, another one of their signals to silently tell the other to act on whatever they were thinking. In this case, he gave his girl the go ahead to end one more life with her powers. The very thing he’d been discouraging her to do, now giving permission. And as she slowly turned to Strucker, Bucky sent a prayer that this would be the last time this child would have to do that. 

Bucky watched in satisfaction the look of panic on Strucker’s face before he flew a few feet in the air, eyes bleeding quickly as the life was choked out of him. It was a quicker death than the man deserved, but he was more concerned about getting his kid back home than anything. 

Speaking of, he had to leap forward to catch her when her legs gave out and she suddenly collapsed to the ground. 

“Daci, baby are you okay?” he asked as he cradled his girl in his arms. He gently rolled her over to check the back of her skull, sighing in relief when he noted it was mostly healed. She slowly blinked back at him as he heard Steve’s voice over the comms. 

_“No sign of Strucker.”_

“He’s dead,” Bucky replied as he stood up with Daci in his arms. “I’ve got Daci, rendezvous at the jet.” She barely stirred in his arms as he ran, alarming the man but not enough to stop and look. He had to get her on the jet and back home. 

They were the last ones to board, the jet quickly taking off as Bucky realized Natasha was the one flying it. Right...Clint had been injured. He ignored the sick feeling in his stomach and took a seat in the back and away from the others, cradling a sleeping Daci in his lap. Steve and Tony were seated together with the latter in the former’s hold, both fully conscious and seemingly uninjured as the Iron Man armor stood stoic by their side. He could see a shaky Dr. Banner looking Clint over as Thor sat near them. Natasha’s red hair was all he could see in the pilot’s seat as he did his best to clear his mind of the overwhelming guilt settling in his stomach. 

This was all his fault. 

The people he had begun to consider not just teammates...but friends, were all hurt in some way because of him. 

It was only later when Daci stirred that he was able to focus on the here and now. 

“Tati?” she asked quietly. 

“Hey cub,” he said with a smile as he bent his head to look at her face. The smile disappeared when he noticed tears begin forming in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry -”

“- no, no cub,” he said as he gently shifted her around to face him on his lap. “Look at me,” he said gently, waiting for her to look up before continuing and not caring of the tears beginning to form in his own eyes. “ **None** of this is your fault, cub. This is all me, okay? It’s my fault you’re here. And I’m so sorry for that Daci. Vivienne she...she was drugging me this whole time…”

“She was?” Daci asked, voice small and still sounding unsure. He nodded back at her as he tucked some hair behind her ear. “Have you seen her? I think she was there at the base.”

“Yes, I saw her... _I-am pocnit gatul_ ,” he whispered the last words out, knowing it was violent but that it would also bring her closure. { _I snapped her neck_ }

“I thought for a second maybe you…” she trailed off, looking down as he pulled her into his embrace. 

“Never. You are always first, Daci. What I said to you...baby I’m so sorry I swear I didn’t mean it. **You** are the one who makes me happy, cub. **You’ve** saved **me** , do you understand? You’re the reason my childhood memories came back to me. Remember when we had to bathe in the river after hiding in the mud? Helping you with your hair...reminded me of my ma doing my hair when I was your age. Taking care of you...it always grounds me back to the moment. Seeing your face...cub it makes all of those years HYDRA had me worth it. Te iubesc pe fiica mea,” { _I love you my daughter_ } he said before pulling her back into a hug. After a moment, Daci spoke quietly. 

“What about Clint?” 

“W-what about -” he began before she interrupted him, a startling feeling stirring in his stomach at the thought of the archer. 

“- Wait I...I hurt Clint!” Daci suddenly cried in horror, twisting around to try and look at the archer. But since he was still unconscious and had dried blood on his cheeks, Bucky kept her from seeing that. 

“Hey, remember our rule? No one can be held accountable when they’re brainwashed. Clint’s still breathing, he’ll be okay. I promise no one blames you for this, cub.”

“He’s right,” Steve’s voice startled the both of them, turning to the blonde who had a sleeping husband fully on his lap. He didn’t realize the others had been listening in to their conversation. “Daci, we’re all just happy you’re back.” Thor and Bruce also offered them a smile. 

“Clint will be okay, Daci. And like your Tati said, you can’t feel bad about something you had no control over,” Bruce added, giving Bucky a long look after that had him averting his gaze. But his words apparently worked on his daughter, who still seemed sad but more at peace as she snuggled more into his arms. 

" _I love you_ ," he whispered to her as she began to fall asleep, smiling when he heard the words whispered back. 

It didn’t take too long after that when they touched down back at the Tower. Bruce and Natasha helped Clint to medical while Tony and Steve went back to their floor, along with Thor who returned to his. Bucky wanted to go to bed but Daci insisted they go watch Clint and make sure he was okay. 

And even though Bucky was exhausted, he couldn’t argue with that. 

When Clint was safely in a bed, Bruce made his way back while Nat stayed behind, sitting by Clint’s bedside. Bucky and Daci sat outside his room, able to see his sleeping form through the glass wall. It was about another hour until Clint’s eyes opened, and in that time father and daughter sat quietly. 

Until the blonde’s eyes opened and Daci shot off his lap and ran into the room. Bucky watched with sad eyes as his daughter slowly approached the bed. Though he couldn’t hear what was happening, he could imagine Clint reassuring the girl none of this was her fault. A small smile spread across Bucky’s face as he watched Daci slowly approach the bed while Clint waved her over. His kid burst into tears, no doubt feeling guilty for her brainwashed actions while the blonde simply pulled her into a careful hug. _Damn he was so good with her it was kind of intimidating._ It wasn’t until Natasha looked up and made eye contact that Bucky finally looked away from the scene. 

He stood up and stepped a few feet away to give them privacy, leaning against a wall and attempting to not let the wave of various emotions drown him. Footsteps approached from his left, which he believed to be a doctor until a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. 

“Barton will be alright, he’s a lot tougher than he looks.” Bucky snapped his head towards Fury, wondering when he had gotten here. The older man offered him a small smile as Bucky actually gave him one in return. “I want to apologize about Vivienne and inform you we found a few other HYDRA moles after what she did. You did good work Barnes, you and your kid are officially under SHIELD protection and I hereby immediately promote you to official Avenger status. Welcome to the team.”

Bucky couldn’t help but scoff at that, thinking of what being an Avenger had gotten him so far. 

"Yeah... it’s a good thing Steve put in a good word for me then, huh?” Bucky asked with sarcasm. 

“What are you talking about?” Bucky turned to Fury, both having matching confused expressions. 

“When we first met, you said...you said an Avenger vouched for me and you didn’t want to piss him off…” The last thing he expected out of Fury was a laugh, which actually startled the super soldier. 

“You think I can’t handle Rogers’ ‘ _glare of disapproval_ ’? Cause that I can handle. What I can’t handle is a goddamn purple glitter bomb going off in my office.” _Purple...glitter...wait…_

“C-Clint?” Bucky asked in shock, further confused by the simple eye roll the one eyed man gave him. 

“Director!” an agent called from the other side of the hall, leading Fury away while Bucky stood there, mouth gaping. 

_How...how could Clint have known him before they even met?_

And before any other thought could form in Bucky’s mind - a wave of memories came flooding back so fast that it had the man knocked down to the floor. 

_It’s three years ago. Clint and Bucky were sent after the same target though both failed their mission. Target ended up getting away after an explosion trapped both Hawkeye and Winter Soldier underground. It only took a few minutes for Bucky to come back to Clint, after which the two spent the few hours it took for local rescue to let them out fucking each other’s brains out._

_It’s four and a half years ago. The Soldier is sent after a target Clint is set to protect. Bucky didn’t fail that mission, but Clint was able to bring him back before the Soldier could kill him too. They spent a week in a cabin that left Bucky walking a little funny after._

_It’s seven years ago. The Soldier’s mission is to kill SHIELD agent Clint Barton codename Hawkeye. Except Bucky had begun to figure out how to fight HYDRA’s orders. And seeing that blonde man, the same man who tripped over his own feet after expertly disarming a bomb that was set to go off outside a hospital, had the soldier pausing. After spending one extra day studying, he realized he couldn’t go through with it. SHIELD agent or not, this clumsy man was kind. He even confronted the Winter Soldier after realizing he was following him. It was the blonde’s smug flirting immediately following the anger that officially snapped something in Bucky’s brain. Had him snapping his hips into the blonde’s not even an hour later._

_He remembered the way Clint’s face melted when he came inside of him._

_He remembered how Clint could barely keep his eyes open but begged for more._

_He remembered being held tenderly afterwards and feeling both powerful and vulnerable._

_It’s a year and a half ago. Clint had helped him escape HYDRA’s hold for the last time. They had promised to rendezvous in Brazil and run away together. But Bucky...he had been hit in the head, forgetting everything about the blonde. That’s where some HYDRA agents found him, talking about his clone as they dragged him to the facility. But before they could re-brainwash him, he escaped and went after his clone. Intent on killing him, when he found his daughter._

Clint...was the reason he had broken out of HYDRA the last time. The reason he was able to escape and eventually find his kid.

Clint was...fuck...Clint was **everything**. 

And Bucky…

He focused on his breathing in this present moment, thankful that the normal sounds of the hospital came back to him. It was laughing that finally had him open his eyes he didn’t realize he had closed. 

Laughter coming from Clint’s room. He came out of the daze he had been in, standing up as his feet quickly led him to the source of the sound. Through the glass windows, he could see Daci sitting in Clint’s lap, the two laughing at something Natasha had said - the redhead sitting in the chair near the hospital bed. 

Moving and standing in the now open doorway, he switched from awe to anger. Three pairs of eyes turned to him as he stepped into the room. 

“Seven years?” Bucky choked out with a growl, eyes on Clint though he could see his daughter put herself in front of the blonde defensively. If he was in his right mind, he would’ve congratulated her, but right now his head hurt from the influx of information he had registered in the last few minutes. 

“Daciana, why don’t you and I find the ice cream vendor?” Natasha asked quietly, startling his kid who looked back at the redhead in shock. “ _Aveti incredere in mine_ ,” Romanoff said softly, reaching her hand out for the child to take. Which she did, apprehensively and even going so far as to throw her father a dirty look before the two left the room. { _Trust me_ }

The two stayed staring at each other in silence before Clint looked away first. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bucky asked, more in exhaustion than any real anger. If the tables were turned, he doesn’t know how he would tell Clint….

“How could I? ‘Hey you don’t remember me but we hooked up a few times’...”

“Don’t do that,” Bucky interrupted with renewed anger and hurt. Tears formed in his eyes and he had to clear his throat before continuing. “Don’t belittle what we had as some fucked up friends with benefits. I remember, Clint. I remember _everything_. We were supposed to run away together.” Clint didn’t respond to that, just looking down at his lap as Bucky saw a tear splash the hospital sheets. The brunette walked over and sat on the chair Natasha had been sitting on. 

“Well...look, if you’re having some sort of gay-crisis then I don’t know how to help you,” Clint bit out, a poor attempt at humor to deflect his own feelings on the matter. 

“That’s not it and you know it,” Bucky challenged him, daring him to try and use humor to deflect. Not after everything they’ve been through. “How long did you wait in Brazil for me?” he asked more gently, hating the flinch it got from the archer. Clint only shrugged in response, which prompted Bucky to continue. “I’m so sorry, Clint.”

“I don’t blame you for getting side-tracked,” Clint finally said after a moment. “Daci’s a great kid.”

“I only have her because of you. Otherwise...I don’t like to think what could have happened…”

“Are you kidding me? Father-daughter assassin duo would make a great TV show.” And that was the Clint Bucky had just recently remembered. Didn’t stop him from gently flicking the man’s elbow in retaliation. “Hey! I’m literally in a hospital bed.”

Bucky couldn’t believe he’d forgotten this man. This thirtysomething pouting in a hospital bed. After helping save his kid. 

“You’re fucking ridiculous, you know that?” he asked rhetorically, helping himself to some of the bed as he felt exhaustion begin to take him. “Hard to believe you’re the one.” He felt Clint stiffen next to him. 

“Look, James. I don’t think you’re thinking rationally here. You just found out about us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we feel that way now.”

“You don’t? Am I...am I too late?” he asked, looking up at the blonde from where his head was resting on the bed. He hadn’t even considered that Clint’s feelings had changed.

“No I just...what we had was so long ago, you know? And you’ve got a kid to think about…” Clint trailed off, picking absently at the bed sheet and not looking Bucky in the eye. So it wasn’t that he didn’t have feelings for Bucky and was letting him down...it was he doubted Bucky’s feelings for _him_ and was trying to give him a free pass. 

But Bucky didn’t want a pass. 

He realized in the last few minutes, all he wanted was Clint. 

His heart broke a little, which he didn't think was possible after the day he had, at Clint's lost expression. 

"You're the reason I have that kid, Clint. You're the reason for a lot of things. If _you_ don't want a brainwashed assassin with more baggage than an airport then I understand..."

"Well, then I'd be a pretty big hypocrite, not liking someone with similar experiences..." And because Bucky was secretly a little shit at heart, couldn't pass up responding.

"...But, you're not an assassin?" he says, unable to dodge the swat the archer gave him, but not really caring to do so. 

"What the hell I thought you were trying to win me over??"

"That's still an option?" Bucky asked, unable to keep the hope from his voice as he looked up at Clint through his lashes. He kept his puppy eyes on the blonde, who's stoic look lasted another moment before he sighed heavily. 

"It's only cause of Daci that I'm even **considering** this, Barnes." 

"I know...and I'm genuinely sorry, Clint," he said in a more somber tone, thinking of the blonde waiting for him. Thinking of the awful things he's said to him. "I really don't deserve you after everything you went through...after everything I put you through. But if you'll let me, I'd like to make it up to you. I meant it what I said before, Clint. You're the one for me. Please give me another chance." He noticed Clint's eyes getting watery as he spoke, and didn't mind that he felt his own eyes match. 

They sat in silence for another moment, Bucky watching Clint bite his lip as he waited patiently for an answer. Whatever the blonde decided, he would respect it. He owed him that much.

His fear of rejection was squashed when the archer silently nodded his head yes. 

Unable to hold back any longer, Bucky surged forward and pressed his lips against Clint's. He tasted exactly as he remembered, soft and lush with hints of coffee. And the feeling of him kissing back made the supersoldier whimper deep in his throat. He's not even ashamed that he whimpered again when calloused hands moved to gently cradle his face. Bucky moved to deepen the kiss, curling his tongue inside the perfect mouth he remembered. The one that belonged to him. Just like he belonged to the archer. 

" _I love you_ ," he whispered to the man, feeling brave and vulnerable in a way he can't remember feeling before. And he didn't actually hate it, unlike he would have as the Soldier where being vulnerable and feeling weren't really an option. But there was a part of him that secretly loved it. Especially when he heard the words were returned to him. 

" _I love you too_ ," Clint whispered back, tears in his beautiful blue eyes as they pulled away for a moment to smile at each other. 

"Fuck, Clint," Bucky laughed out, not fully believing this was not some sort of dream. 

"Maybe when I get discharged, but I'm pretty sure you owe me dinner first," Clint - that beautiful sassy little shit snarked, earning him another deep kiss. They were kissing for another few seconds when they suddenly heard cheers. And sure enough, watching them through the glass from the hallway, was Natasha and Daciana. 

It gave him the confidence and love to kiss the man one more time, the two men laughing when their audience suddenly groaned in annoyance before joining them in the room. 

"You two idiots finally figure it out?" Natasha said sweetly, holding a cup carrier with what looked like two cups of coffee. Clint made grabby hands towards the redhead who handed him one cup and gave Bucky the other. 

" _My true love_ ," Clint whispered to the cup, drinking and almost spilling his coffee when Bucky pinched his side in retaliation. 

"So Tati, does this mean you two are...together?" his daughter asked, hope in her eyes and voice as she looked back and forth between him and Clint. The archer had downed the entire coffee before putting his empty cup on the bedside table, freeing up his hand. Which Bucky took with his metal one before turning to his kid and nodding. "Yay!" Daci cheered in excitement, getting a laugh out of the adults as Bucky felt the grip on his hand tighten. 

"So, you're okay with this Daci?" Clint asked, Bucky hating the pinch of doubt in his voice. 

"Of course I am! I love you and I love my Tati. And I know you guys like each other and make each other happy. And that makes me happy," she said simply, cause even though she was five she was clearly smarter than the two guys. Bucky released Clint and moved to pick his girl up, tickling her a little and enjoying her laugh before placing her between him and Clint for group hug. 

"I'm happy you're happy, cub," he said to his girl before placing a kiss on her head. Clint did the same and Bucky still felt like he was dreaming, because how could he have predicted he'd get to have this? A click sound caught his attention as he turned as saw Natasha had taken a picture of the group, smiling at the redhead who nodded back before making her exit. 

Twenty four hours ago he was manipulated into thinking he was in love, not caring of the impact it had on anyone else. Now...he recognized a deeper love than he probably even deserved. One he would never give up on. 

"Tati, can we stay until Clint gets to leave?" Daci asked, snuggling deeper into Clint's side and making herself comfortable on the small bed. 

"If Clint's okay with that, I think we can do that," Bucky said, already knowing the answer and moving back to the chair so the two can snuggle together. 

"Clint is definitely okay with that," Clint said with a smile wrapping both arms around Daci and giving Bucky a soft smile. 

_Thank you_ , Bucky mouthed to the blonde, for everything. Giving him a second chance, helping save his kid, snapping him out of HYDRA's hold, loving him...the list goes on and on. 

The blonde's response was just a bigger smile, which Bucky would spend the rest of his life keeping on that archer's handsome face. 


	12. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Six months later...

The bell finally rang, signally the end of her school day. Not that she necessarily didn’t like kindergarten, but she loved hanging out with her family more. Speaking of, she spotted her cousin Peter making his way down the steps with his friends until the two made eye contact. Then, they both took off, racing towards Happy and the waiting towncar - as they did everyday after school. 

She won, again. 

“Too fast,” Peter said with a pout, sliding into the seat next to her as she only offered him a smug grin in return. She was in too good a mood today to let him guilt her. 

“How was school, kiddos?” Happy asked from the front seat as he drove them back to the Tower. 

“I made a new friend today! He’s a new kid, his name is Wade Wilson and he’s super weird. He said we would probably get married one day.”

“Oh, that’s...cool Pete. What about you Daci?”

“Mine was good. I made a hundred on our spelling test. Plus I really like my painting from art time! It’s drying so I can’t bring it home yet. I think Uncle Steve would be proud.”

“I’m sure he would be. Well, I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning. Bye kids,” Happy said as he opened the door after parking in front of the Tower. They raced again to the elevator and this time Daci let Peter win. Even though he was gloated about it on the way up. 

“JARVIS is Papa home? I want to tell him I finally beat Daci.”

_“No young sir, I’m afraid the Avengers are currently on mission - though it would appear they will be returning by dinner time. Agent Barton is currently on Sir’s floor waiting for you two.”_ The two kids turned to each other - broad smiles on their faces at the implication. That would only mean one thing - pizza for dinner! 

Once the elevators opened, the two took off again, this time Daci left Peter in the dust. 

“Clint!” Daci cried in excitement, running into his outstretched arms. He was standing in the living room next to Morgan and Harley who were coloring on the floor. 

“Hey peanut! How was school?” he asked as he swung her up in the air before bringing her into a hug. 

“It was good! Guess what? I made a hundred on the spelling test!”

“You did? That’s amazing! See, told you you could do it,” Clint said proudly before giving her a kiss on the cheek. 

“Uncle Clint! Can we have pizza for dinner?” Peter asked the man as he flew past them, joining his siblings on the floor. 

“Of course you can, Peter Pan!” Clint said as he let Daci back on the floor, where she pulled her backpack around to show him her test score. “Wow, you are so smart kiddo.” The compliment made her smile grow bigger on her face, jumping into his arms again when he offered her another hug. He walked the two over to the couch before plopping them down. “Anything else happen today?” She kept her face in his neck at the question, not liking his knowing tone. 

“Hey, to be fair, Daci didn’t use any of her powers,” Peter spoke up on her behalf, having been a witness to what happened at recess. Clint gently pulled her out of his embrace, but she kept her head down, unable to face him. . 

“How’d you find out?” she asked instead, wondering how much trouble she was going to be in. 

“You forget I befriended your teacher, Miss Bishop. She told me what happened but left out the juicy details. Spill, peanut,” he said before running a hand through her hair, instantly making her feel better. 

“It was a stupid boy. He made fun of me for having one parent. I said I don’t have one parent, I have two and he said you don’t call your parents by their first name. I said Clint loves me more than his father loved him, cause his dad ran away from his family to be with his secretary. And then he started crying and told on me. But Clint I didn’t use my strength or my powers!” The snort it got from her blonde father caused her to look up at him in amusement. 

“You did use your power. Your power of wit. Which I think your Tati would agree is fair game,” Clint said with a bright smile and a chuckle, getting one out of Daci as well. “Well I’m glad to hear you only used your words this time. And of course you have two parents, kiddo. I’ve loved you for a long time.”

That statement should’ve brought a smile to her face, but it just made her frown. 

“But Clint...if, if you are my parent...does that mean I can call you, you know...something different?” She’d been considering it for a while but wasn’t sure how to ask him. Ever since Clint and her Tati got together at the hospital, Daci finally felt like she was part of a real family. And she didn’t even mind when they went on dates, cause sometimes Clint made sure they brought Daci along and other times they always brought Daci back something. 

Clint made her confident and made her Tati so, so happy. Like the happy she had always wished for him. Even when they were kind of gross and kissed everywhere, she didn’t mind. They were happy.

She had kind of guessed Clint had felt the same way. Until he suddenly looked unsure at her. 

“I...I mean...you can call me whatever you want, Daci.” She had considered what her cousins called their parents, and settled on the one that sounded better to her.

“Like...Daddy?” her question brought tears to Clint’s eyes, confusing her further until he brought her back into his crushing embrace. 

“Yeah. That works. Love you kiddo,” he said in choked breaths, making Daci realize he was upset for a good reason. She hugged him tightly in return, loving this man so much. 

They played games until dinner time, where there were plenty of pizza boxes waiting for the return of the Avengers. Which luckily was just after they finished dessert - where her Daddy made them all ice cream sundaes. Daci was ready to grab her spelling test to show her Tati when JARVIS suddenly spoke up. 

“ _Miss Daciana, Agent Romanoff has requested a code Jolly Green Giant.”_

As much as she wanted to see her Tati, she had seen him this morning before school. 

The Hulk, however, she hasn’t seen in weeks! Daci rushes off to the elevator, sprinting into the gym with her aunt and friend waiting for her. 

“FAST GIRL!” Hulk rumbled in excitement, stomping towards her with his arms spread wide. 

“Hey Hulk!” Daci returned the greeting, jumping into his arms and giving him a hug. 

“Thanks for this Daci,” the redhead said with a sigh from where she sat on the floor. 

“No problem Aunt Tasha,” she said with a grin, immediately taking off when Hulk gently placed her on the ground. It only took about ten minutes of chasing before Hulk collapsed next to her aunt on the ground. 

“NO FAIR,” Hulk pouted as Daci gently caught her breath. 

“Next time I’ll chase you and give you a heads start, okay?” she said to a sleepy Hulk. She waved at her aunt who waved back before heading towards the elevator. On her uncles’ floor, she found her parents in the kitchen. 

Her Tati must’ve showered cause his shaggy hair was wet. He was standing in between the archer’s legs, who was sitting on the kitchen counter as the two gazed at each other like lovesick puppies. She’d heard her aunt call them that. It made sense. 

They heard her footsteps and turned their attention to her, both men wearing matching smiles. 

“Hey cub!” her Tati greeted with open arms, squatting down as she quickly ran into the hug. She giggled as he swung her around before sitting her on the counter next to her Dad. “So...something happen at school today?”

She couldn’t help blushing as she frowned, momentarily forgetting about the incident at recess. 

“I didn’t use my powers,” she said in her defense, leaning against the man who already said it was fine. When an arm wrapped around her, a smile broke across her face. When she looked up and saw her Tati squinting at her Daddy, her smile got bigger. 

“She has a point, Tati.”

“You’re only taking her side cause of your new name, _Daddy_.” 

“Is...is that okay?” she asked her brunette father, suddenly wondering if he didn’t like her calling Clint that. His expression softened immediately as he smiled and pulled her back into a hug. 

“Of course, cub. But that doesn’t mean you can use that word for evil. Like you two ganging up on me.”

“ ** _Us_**?? Gang up on **_you_**? James, how dare you accuse us of such a thing,” her blonde father said, acting scandalized and sending Daci a wink that made her laugh. 

“Uh huh. Hey, your Daddy tells me you made a hundred on your spelling test?" 

“I did!” she said excitedly, letting out another giggle when he pulled her into his arms, spun her around and set her on the floor instead of the counter. 

“I’m proud of you cub. And doing a code green in twelve minutes? I think that’s your new record. Although, I gotta say...you are a little stinky. Also, there’s blue paint on your neck. Did you paint at school today?” he asked as her uncles suddenly joined them, their kids attached to them like koalas. 

“Hey sweetheart, congrats on your spelling test,” Uncle Steve said with a smile as she suddenly got more excited to talk about her painting. 

‘Thank you! I painted at school today and I think you’ll be really proud of it Uncle Steve. I worked on contrasting colors like we talked about!”

“That’s awesome Daci, I can’t wait to see it!” 

“Hey, no using Uncle Steve to distract me, you need to shower before settling in for movie night, my little stinky wolf cub.”

“Not stinky,” she said with a pout before an idea came to her mind. 

“Come on, you can shower on our floor and grab Wolf,” Tati said with smile, holding his hand out for her to take. But the idea made her heart race in a good way, so she turned down his hand and turned to her uncle currently staring at the coffee pot and holding a clingy Harley. 

“Actually...Uncle Tony?”

“Huh?” he said in surprise as the other adults shared a matching look. 

“Do you think you could...make me one of your baths?” she asked in a small voice, but feeling brave and confident after how she did today. And the affirmations from the adults that immediately followed only made her feel even better about her decision. 

“Of course! Clint, take this monkey,” her uncle said before handing the archer Harley and motioning Daci to follow him. Her nerves started getting to her as she followed her uncle into his bathroom and watched him fill up the water, although seeing the colors and foaming of bubbles squashed some of that. 

“Alright kiddo, wanna see if the water is how you want it?” She didn’t answer, just stared at the water as she began to feel herself chickening out. “How about I go get your Tati?” he asked gently after a moment, earning him a smile and a whispered “ _thank you_.” She kept staring at the colors until she heard the bathroom door open again. 

“Hey cub, how’s it going in here?” She finally looked up but could only shrug at her Tati, who offered her a kind smile in return. He walked over and sat by the tub before putting his flesh hand in. “Oh wow, that feels good. Come here.” It was a gentle command, but it helped Daci move her feet towards him. 

She knew it wasn’t the same. She knew she wasn’t back there and no one would hold her head under. This was her Tati and a bubble bath that **she** asked for. 

“Just start with your hand,” his voice interrupted her thoughts. She returned the smile he was giving her and took a deep breath before plunging her hand next to her father’s. Oh wow...the water did feel good. Excitement quickly began to replace her fear feeling safe here in the Tower, with her father, about to take a colorful, bubble filled bath. “How about you undress while I find the rubber duckies Tony told me about?”

With that new information, she quickly undressed but hesitated when her foot hovered above the water. Taking another breath, she put one foot down until it touched the bottom of the tub, feeling confident with the amazing way the water felt against her leg. With one more deep breath, she gently, but quickly, she climbed in and sat down in the tub before she could lose her confidence. She smiled when her father let out a laugh, seeing him watching her with a proud face and holding several rubber duckies. 

The water wasn’t just good, it was perfect. 

The bubbles came up to her chest and the rainbow sparkles made it that much less scary. 

“How does it feel?” her Tati asked as he came to sit next to her by the tub. 

“Amazing,” she said with a smile, squishing the bubbles between her fingers. She watched as her Tati took a scoop of bubbles and placed it on her head. With a giggle, she returned the favor which started the two putting bubbles on each other. He gave her a beard next, which delighted her to no end. 

“Alright cub, let me help you wash your hair,” her Tati said as he wiped his own bubbles off before moving around to sit behind her. Feeling courageous, she didn’t wait for his help, just dunked herself underwater before popping back up and wiping the bubbles from her eyes. “I’m so proud of you baby girl.” 

She smiled and felt warm all over as her Tati carefully scratched her scalp and spread the shampoo throughout her hair. 

“Tati?” she asked after grabbing one of the duckies and proceeding to play with it in the water.

“Mhmm?”

“You really don’t mind that I want to call Clint, Daddy, right?”

“Of course not, cub. Lean your head back and I’ll rinse your hair.” She closed her eyes and enjoyed the water until her Tati was finished. 

“So...Tati...if you don't mind I call him Daddy...why aren’t you two married?”

“What?” he asked with a chuckle, handing her a washcloth to clean herself while he started putting conditioner in her hair. “Why do you ask that?”

“Cause! You guys already act like you’re married since Clint moved to our floor. Both of you put me to bed at night. And I already think of him as my other parent. Plus the front office has to call you for approval if he wants to pick me up from school.”

“Have you...been thinking about this a lot?”

“Kind of...I mean, you love him right?” she asked after he rinsed her hair once more. 

“I do, yeah,” he said, and even though she couldn't see him from behind her, she knew he was smiling by his voice. 

“Then, you should get married.” She watched her Tati with a smile as he moved to sit next to her so she could see his face. 

“Can you keep a secret?” he asked as she nodded quickly in response. “I bought a ring last week.”

“Like...a marriage ring?”

“An engagement ring, yeah.” She threw her hands up in excitement as she let out a cheer, letting out a laugh when some bubbles got on her father’s face. “I take it you like the idea?”

“Yes! He makes you so happy, Tati. And he makes me happy. I love Clint.”

“Well then, it’s settled. You wanna help me propose to him this weekend?” he asked. She nodded yes, but before she could offer any suggestions they heard a knock on the door. 

“Hey guys, how’s it going?” the man they were talking about asked as he poked his head in the bathroom. 

“Going good. Look at our brave little fish,” her Tati said with a proud smile, motioning her Daddy to join them. 

“Looking good kiddo! I brought you some spare clothes and Wolf,” her blonde father said as he joined them, putting the items on the bathroom counter. “So, how’s your first bubble bath?”

“It’s pretty awesome,” she admitted, not sure if she could do this everyday but still proud of herself for trying. She watched with a smile as her Daddy walked over to them, sitting himself on the edge of the tub near her Tati. 

“Did you give your Tati a bubble beard? I keep trying to get him to grow one now that he’s growing his hair out. He just kind of looks like a baby wearing a wig without one.” The statement had her brunette father turn to her in question, silently asking permission for a hilarious prank. You can’t say being clones doesn’t have it’s perks - as they could usually read each other’s minds. 

So she blinked twice quickly before pulling her legs up and out of the way. 

Because what happened next, her blonde father who is also an Avenger should have seen coming. 

But before he could register that anything was happening, her brunette father quickly shoved him into the bath with her. She shrieked with laughter and wiped some of the new bubbles from her face. She has never laughed this hard in her life, watching her Daddy sputter up out of the water - fully clothed. 

She replayed the image in her head and only laughed harder, which didn’t go away when she could hear her Tati join her. The blonde just pouted at the both of them from where he sat next to her in the tub. 

"Wow, okay. You are so paying for that at an undisclosed time and place. Now help me out of here," Daddy said with an outreached arm just as her Tati stood up and stepped away from the tub. 

"Oh no I am not falling for that, but I'll grab you some of Tony's clothes as payment," Tati said before leaving the bathroom to grab some clothes. 

"Were you going to try and pull him in?" she asked the pouting man who nodded in response, standing up with a grimace and gently stepping out of the tub. "I love you Daddy," she said with a laugh, feeling more and more excited for movie night as she also moved to climb out of the tub.

"I love you too, sweetheart," the blonde said with a smile as he handed her a warm towel. Her Tati returned a second later and couldn't dodge the full body hug from her Daddy, who now got the brunette wet. They laughed and changed and soon enough she was snuggled between the two on the couch for movie night. But she must've fallen asleep, cause the next time she woke up, she was in her bed. 

She had woken up from a bad dream, which wasn't as scary as other but still made her feel sick in her stomach. Grabbing Wolf, she walked to her parent's room and gently opened the door. Her Tati was immediately alert but smiled and waved her over when he saw her. She hesitated when she got to his side of the bed, seeing how Clint was snoring and taking up the middle of the bed. But her Tati just gently grabbed her and placed her between the two. Her Daddy made some noises and just barely opened his eyes at the two. Daci held her breath, but quickly released it when the blonde wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. 

Settled between her two loving fathers, she quickly fell asleep, nightmare free. 

~~~

Six **more** months later...

She sat on her Uncle Thor's lap as she watched her dads take their first dance as husbands. It was a small wedding, just the Avengers along with Pepper and Happy. Aunt Tasha had been her Daddy's best man while Uncle Steve had been her Tati's. Uncle Bruce had initiated it while Peter and Harley had been ring bearers and Morgan had been the flower girl. Daci stood next to her dads and had been included in the exchanging of vows, where her Daddy promised to love and support her forever. He had also adopted her, and the family of three had poured different colored sand into a glass vase. Daddy's was purple, Tati's was red while hers was blue. The three colors swirled around each other in the vase, which was currently at the head table for all to see. She was thinking of where on their floor the vase should go when the crowd cheered and Daci looked up in time to see her Tati dip her Daddy as the song finished. 

She joined the others in clapping until the two men waved her over. Jumping off Uncle Thor's lap, she ran to join her dads as the song changed to a more bouncy one. Others joined them on the dancefloor as she was swept up into her Daddy's arms. She went from one father to the other before being placed back on the floor, where she danced with everyone there. 

Her fathers' wedding was the most fun she'd ever had, but after eating so much cake she was pretty tired. She went to sit next to her Uncle Steve, who was holding a sleeping Morgan in his arms. 

"Did you have fun, sweetheart?" he asked her as he freed one arm to wrap around her. She snuggled against him and nodded yes, smiling and watching her dads still dancing and swaying in each other's arms. 

"How long is their honeymoon again, Uncle Steve?"

"They'll be in Brazil for a week, then they have a whole adventure day planned with you when they get back. The new wolf cubs at the zoo should be out for you to see." She smiled and settled against him, so incredibly happy with her family. 

Her silly, loving and ridiculous family she wouldn't trade for the world. 

FIN.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the pacing...hope y'all liked it. Also please blame all shitty translations on Google, twas it's fault.


End file.
